


What Is Your Center?

by PurpleDragoness



Series: Rise of the Guardians [1]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Light BDSM, Light Dom/sub, Romance, Rough Sex, Self-Discovery, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-01
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-01-21 12:21:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 44,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1550267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleDragoness/pseuds/PurpleDragoness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your center is what drives you. It is what you protect out of the world, what you nourish and encourage to grow. If you lose sight of that, your cause is lost. You will scramble to do anything at all to regain your believers. Sometimes, you will even lose sight of yourself in the process. There has always been a source of evil in this world, predating even the King of Nightmares himself. He has been known as many things to the humans that inhabit earth, but most commonly, he is known as Lucifer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

There is more to the world than good and evil. It is not always so black and white. There is a balance that must be kept at all times. For the longest time, evil far outweighed good, and when good was made an equal match to evil, it crushed it so severely that it was a minor irritation in the world. On top of that, there was only one keeper of the balance itself, and she remained neutral throughout the entire war that happened, well before I was even conceived.

I came into existence four-hundred-and-sixty-years-ago, under a full moon on All Hallows Eve, before the day was anything special. I was accused and sentenced to death on the count of witchcraft. I had been innocent of the charges they gave me but that didn’t matter. I was made to be an example to those who might have strayed from the righteous path. For those who questioned the teachings.

When I was hanged, it was before the idea of the hangknot had been perfected. The hangknot was an addition to the noose, which snapped the neck of the victim, rendering them dead instantly. That would have been merciful.

With my hands bound by the same thick rope, I hung there, gasping in pain, unable to breathe. I counted the minutes, the seconds. My ears rang with my pulse. The world began to fade away, but I was still aware of myself, of the bindings cutting in to my wrists and throat as I struggled in vain, out of reaction. Around ten minutes, the awareness faded away, the struggling subsided. At fifteen, the pain finally stopped.

A man spoke to me.

Air rushed back into my lungs with a painful tug. I clutched at my chest as it expanded. A second breath came, and a third, a fourth. The pain slowly subsided and my vision grew lighter. As light as it could in the torchlight. I held myself up, retracting my hands instantly as I realized I was in a cart full of the dead.

Panic hit me as I scrambled out of the cart and ran into the woods, not looking back at the village I had once considered home.

I felt the sting of branches slapping my bare legs and feet, but felt no blood dripping down my limbs. I only felt fear. In those woods, alone and scared, I could have sworn I heard laughter, deep and masculine. It only terrified me more.

I stopped short as I reached a lake I knew so well. Everything went quiet, my pulse overtaking my hearing momentarily.

My attention was drawn to the moon. I immediately heard the man I had heard before. I wasn’t sure from where, but I could understand him clearly. _“I place upon you the gift of the Chosen. The gift of All Hallows.”_

“All Hallows? I don’t understand! What do you mean?”

_“You are Hana Eve, the spirit of All Hallows.”_

I had no chance to argue, no chance to plead my case. I would soon come to find out that what MiM said was fact, and fact was what MiM said. I knelt in the forming snow, tracing the rope marks on my throat. I swallowed, feeling the flesh rise up to meet my fingers. I wanted to flinch at the divots in my skin.

I chanced a glance at my reflection and stifled a shriek. Glowing yellow eyes stood out in the darkness. I looked at my hands and stared at the flesh for the first time. From what I could tell in the moonlight, my skin was ashen, as if I was one of the dead. My reflection showed black markings over my eyes, nose, and lips. Three lines ran vertically over my lips as well. I turned my face, seeing blackened cheekbones. Most shocking were the two small horns protruding from my limp hair. I tentatively reached up to touch them, and retracted my hand just as quickly. They were indeed part of my skull.

I was found that night, and not by who I was expecting. To be honest, I wasn’t sure who to expect, but who showed up... taught me exactly how to come in to the power I was given. And, he taught me much more than that.

As time passed I had accepted my role as Hana Eve. I was given control of one night a year, when the realm of the dead and the living had very little boundaries. I also learned that every Chosen had a special ability that they cared for. Mine was beauty. I was able to find beauty in anything, even the darkest of things. Due to my ability, I was able to find beauty in his darkness as well.

He taught me to use a child’s fear against them, showed me how to harness their terror to raise my power. My abilities may have only been at their peak for one night a year, but that did not mean I was powerless the other three-hundred-and-sixty-four days. He made damn sure of that. He was an excellent teacher, among other things.

After a year I hid the deep scar around my throat, though I kept the gouges on my wrists exposed. Those didn’t send painful reminders through my skull each time I saw them.

Life was grand for over three hundred years. Well, as grand as things could be when you shared a bed with Pitch Black. I had a new life, a new purpose. I had a man by my side that would never question my path. Instead he heartily encouraged my choices. He had been understanding in the beginning, kind even, in his own demented way. He’d bring gifts home occasionally, typically tainted with the dark essence we both survived on.

Then, around a century ago, he began losing his mind. The whole time I had known him, the Guardians had been keeping him “in check”. The amount of adults and children alike who believed in him dwindled down each year. His power began to weaken. It was heartbreaking to see at first, but then…

He had always had a tendency for violent outbursts. They typically weren’t terrible, and usually out of frustration. It was during that time that he began to turn them on me. At first he would apologize, and I would understand his fears, his frustrations. But when he became physical…

I left. I was a spirit, in command of Halloween. I couldn’t let that rule my life. And so, while he was away one night, I left him a note and a ruby necklace he had given me, and didn’t look back.

Now, just over a hundred years since I had left, something was wrong. The balance was being shifted.

I had a globe similar to Pitch and North. While they monitored belief, I monitored fear. I had never seen it so lit up. I took a glass ball from a shelf near my desk, placing it in a holder. I swept a hand over it, activating the shadows trapped within. They twisted and turned until images came through clearly. I saw his Nightmares running rampant through The Warren. It was a grizzly sight, seeing hooves smash through the eggs. I had no problems with his interest in putting fear into children; we were still one in the same in achieving that goal. This was a step too far. How far had he succumbed to his madness?

I looked out of my window, meeting the Moon’s gaze. “Is this why I was turned so long ago?” I narrowed my eyes. “I cannot control him, you know this. Why would I even try? The more fear a child has, the more powerful he and I both become. Why would I stop him?”

As he had for the past four-hundred-and-sixty years, MiM did not answer. In a way, he didn’t have to. The silence was judgment enough.

I clenched my teeth and turned my attention back to the ball. I couldn’t blame him for what he was doing. He was desperate. It didn’t make it any easier to see the devastation he was laying on Easter. All I could do was watch it play out. I observed for hours as it happened, witnessed as his plans failed, watched as the children laid waste to his perfected Nightmares that he had painstakingly created over many, many years. I touched the surface of the glass ball, unable to believe what I was seeing. “Oogie, what have you done?”


	2. Chapter 2

Unable to stand by and watch any longer, I gave a sharp whistle, calling for my steed. He responded immediately, materializing from the shadows beneath me. My destination in mind, we slipped into the Void.

The Void is how I was taught to travel when I was first turned. I could travel short distances through connected shadows, however traveling across the globe required me to go a little deeper into the surface. This was the only way to travel quickly. It was a very cold realm of solid darkness. There was no up or down, left or right. There was only a sense of direction. I had to know where I was going to not end up lost. Sight was limited, even for me.

We emerged from the Void into an unfamiliar patch of woods. My horse snorted and tossed his head, shifting uneasily. I patted his neck, looking around. “Easy Hessian…” I led him around the woods, using the early morning light to search for anything out of the ordinary.

Hessian stopped at an open patch of dirt, tossing his head. Bits of old wood were scattered around, and the dirt looked as if it had been an open pit up until recently. Far off cheers led my gaze upward. I saw North’s sleigh take off, followed closely by Sandy’s golden sands. I nodded. “Below.”

We used the nearby cast shadows from the trees and slipped below the surface, coming out in familiar tunnels. I spurred Hessian on until we reached the main chamber.

Inside I could only see Nightmares surrounding something, closing in on it. Instinctively I drove Hessian through the Nightmares, leaping off in the middle of them, my twin scythes drawn. I stared down the ones that tried to advance, showing no fear. I knew how they reacted to anyone’s fear, and would show them no openings. Eventually they lost interest and backed off, giving a few indignant snorts as they left.

Only when I was sure they wouldn’t come back, I banished my scythes to shadows once more. I looked to the mass lying on the ground, knocked unconscious by his creatures no doubt. I bit my lip, unsure of what to do. While I wasn’t sure why I was even there in the first place, I knew I didn’t want him dead.

I turned and took a step away from him, about ready to call for Hessian again. A soft groan of pain made me stop in my tracks.

“Hana?”

My heart skipped a beat. My legs refused to move. He sounded so weak…

“It is you.”

I turned to face him. Despite the situation, I let a small smile slip. “Nice so see you again, Pitch.”

He seemed to quickly regain his senses. He shuffled back into a wall, his eyes darting about. “The Nightmares—“

“—won’t bother you for awhile,” I interrupted, standing before him. I kept my ruined vocal cords low. “You went too far, Oogie.”

He flinched at the nickname, but seemed to calm slightly. “You don’t understand what it’s like. I had to. I had no other choice.”

“You are succumbing to your own fears. You can’t do that with your pets around.” I helped him to his feet, trying to ignore the feeling of his own ashen skin. Trying to forget the true talents he held in those strong fingers.

“The children do not fear me. The Guardians destroyed my hold on a small lot of them. Turned the Nightmares against me. I have nothing to draw upon.” His gaze grew frantic once more. “I cannot be a mere fairy tale! I need the fear to survive!” He seemed to catch himself. He growled and stalked away down one of the dark corridors. “I’ve lost what control I had over my mind.”

I slipped through the shadows to catch up to him. I stood in front of him, my hands held up to stop him. I repressed a shiver as they ended up under his coat. “Fear can never be destroyed. Darkness can never be snuffed out. Everyone fears something.”

He curled his lip. “Really now? Then what is it you fear?”

“You know exactly what it is.”

This seemed to distract him enough for him to calm down. “If it is the same as it was a century ago. In that case, whose fault is that?”

“This isn’t the time.” My voice was quieter than I wanted. Barely more than a whisper, making my rasp worse. The man in front of me had been the first to accept me in my new life, to teach me how to use the new abilities that developed as I grew in power. I didn’t need the Chosen. I had had him. And, after the first year, he had me, in his own way. “You’ve lost sight of your center.

He looked confused and swept an arm out over the expanse of his lair. “This is my center. Darkness, shadows, fear, and terror.”

I brought his arm down and gently took hold of his hand. “That is not your center.” I put a hand over his heart. “Who are you, Pitch Black? What is your true purpose in this world?”

“To bring nightmares and desolation to the children, of course,” he said, his gaze growing angrier. If it weren’t for our past, I doubt I would still have had an arm attached to my body.

“Your center,” I corrected, “is chaos. Total disruption of all things good-natured.” I grinned. “It’s what enchanted me all those years ago.”

That seemed to throw him for a loop, considering how long it had been. “Dreams are a source of terror. Dreams so real they wake up in a panic. Dreams that, if done right, can leave them scarred for their lives.”

“You think so small, for someone of your prowess.” I took my hands back, catching my mind starting to wander. “Dreams are the subconscious mind telling someone what needs to be told. To remember things from the past, or wonder about the future. To live out fantasies that can never be.”

He let out a chuckle. “There seems to be something else on your mind than helping me.”

I turned my back on him, realizing what I had said. “Your center is chaos,” I continued, “and chaos does not branch from dreams. You can do real damage in the outside world. Exploit their darkest fears in reality, not dreams. Children are malleable, yes. Use that fact outside of hiding under their beds.”

“Or in closets,” I heard him mutter bitterly.

I couldn’t stop the grin that cracked on my face. “You come out of the closet often?”

“Stow it.”

I jumped as I felt hands on the skin of my arms. I hadn’t even heard him move.

“You know my tastes run in females.”

I cleared my throat and stepped out of his grasp, still keeping my back to him. “You need a fresh start. If the Nightmares return and you have not regained your powers, you will be in trouble.”

“Hana.”

I flinched at his commanding tone, cursing how weak in the knees it always made me. To add insult to injury, he chuckled, sending a shiver up my spine. “You need to focus, Oogie.”

“You’re the only one to ever call me that.”

“Some habits die hard.”

“Like the one where you cross your arms and rub your skin when you’re hiding from something.”

I paused in doing just that and forced my arms at my sides, eliciting the chuckle from him again. He was still infuriating, but charming all the same. I rolled my glowing eyes and glanced at him. “So what if I am? I at least know my place in this world.” My eyes widened and I clapped a hand over my mouth as I saw his lightened expression grow dark. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Of course you did. You were the only one left. Why wouldn’t you take a stab yourself?” He turned to stalk away.

“No, Pitch don’t—” I sank into the shadows and appeared in front of him, placing both hands to his chest again, more aware than before of the heat of his skin. Of his heartbeat racing beneath the hard flesh. “I didn’t mean it. I only want to help you find your center again.” I attempted a smile. “So it can be like it was when we met.”

He stared at me, studying my intentions. A sinister smile encased his lips. “Would you really lie with a monster again? One who tried to annihilate the Guardians single-handedly and failed?”

I scoffed. “You know I care for those goody-goodies as much as you do. However, if the balance is to remain intact, we need them.”

“But not me.”

“I never said that.” Once sure I had his attention again, I tried taking my hands back. I felt a shock run up my arms as he held them in place. “Light needs shadows. Good needs evil. Hope needs despair. Without a touch of fear, the children will never be prepared for the world of adulthood. True terror would eat them alive.”

“You can still do something about their purity.”

“I can only do so much. I only hold true power on one day. The others I leave to you. I pick up what you leave behind.” I shrugged, pretending to not notice his hold. “That power doesn’t compare to Sandy, Jack, and Tooth’s three-hundred-and-sixty-five days. Bunny and North have their big days, and even Groundhog has one. And the leprechaun…”

“Is a blithering drunk.”

“True, but he still has a day, though he targets the adults more often than anything.” His grasp slackened and I took the opportunity to pull back. “The fear of a child is a fitting meal. However, it is not rewarding.”

He frowned. “How so?”

“Children are fairly easy to scare. A few cheap tricks can make them sleep with their parents for awhile. Thing is, the fear isn’t as sweet as it was centuries ago. These children have been desensitized by their movies and video games. There is sweeter prey out there.”

He seemed to catch on. “However they are harder to scare for someone like me. They need to see to believe. With the way the world is right now, none would see me.”

“Due to my day, being a spirit linked to All Hallows, I can be seen by anyone I wish to see me.” I kept him on the right track. “I can be heard by all ages, so long as they celebrate my day. People can interact with me as if I were human again.”

“That helps me how? The worst I can do is make it seem like a place is haunted. That is a sign of ghosts, not the Boogeyman.”

I arched a brow. “It’s a start. And, with my help, we can have your power back in no time. On top of that, you can receive the sweetest fear you’ve ever tasted.” I held up a finger. “There is a catch.”

“Which is?”

“You will need to find your center again first.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Why are you doing this for me?”

That caught me off-guard. I cast my gaze away. There was no point keeping anything from him. Not at that point. “You’re all I have left. If you were to completely lose sight of yourself, I really would be alone.”

He didn’t answer and I didn’t push it. I knew it was best to let him decide what to do from there. I couldn’t tell how long we stood in silence, but I didn’t dare look at him. “How do you plan on finding my center?”

It wasn’t a refusal. “Is there a Nightmare that hasn’t turned on you?”

“Yes.”

“Mount up then.” I called for Hessian and swung up into the saddle as a Nightmare materialized below him. “Keep up.”


	3. Chapter 3

We didn’t travel through the Void. It would have been faster, but for some reason I felt it would be best if we traveled through the air, despite the sky glowing bright with the early morning. As we traveled, I began to regret the decision, and not for the light. He didn’t ask where we were going. He didn’t ask anything at all. It was unusual for him to be so quiet. Though, given the circumstances, I suppose it was appropriate. On top of his humiliation in front of the Guardians, we were now officially alone for the first time in a century. I hadn’t even spoken to him to his face when I left.

How else was I to break up with the King of Nightmares? Say “I’m sorry, but you’re fucking crazy” to his face? No. How I had done it was best for the situation. The silence was justified.

Which was why I almost fell from Hessian as it was broken.

“How have you been?” he muttered behind us. “A hundred years is a long time.”

“So it would seem. Do you snap at all the girls who offer their help?”

“I’m only trying to be civil. I’m not the one who left without a spoken word.”

I kept my gaze ahead.

He chuckled and forced his horse forward, cutting me off, forcing me to look at him. “What’s this? Guilt? It couldn’t be. I wasn’t aware the Spirit of Halloween could feel guilt.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I’m only trying to help. Our past has nothing—“

“It has everything to do with this!”

I could feel Hessian twitch beneath me. “Please. Let’s just—“

“Not until I know why you’re helping me after a century of silence!”

Something in me snapped and before I could stop it, the truth flew out. “Because I loved you!” For once, it looked as if I had stunned him. With the damage done, I gripped harder on Hessian’s reins. “You were there from my rebirth. You were the one to breech the boundary of student and teacher. You were the one to give me a home, a purpose.” I narrowed my eyes. “You were the one to drive me away.” I led Hessian around him. “And if you’re wondering, I don’t anymore. Haven’t for a long time.”

Did I ever regret leaving? Of course, for awhile. It was for the best. When the playful violence turned real, I knew to get out. He had tried to find me in my dreams for a few months, but I kept him out. After that, he didn’t come after me. I assumed he had accepted my choice. Knowing him, he probably hadn’t realized he had done anything wrong.

I looked down again at the city as Hessian’s hooves walked on the support of Wind. He had gone quiet again, and I almost believed he had returned to his lair. Only the occasional snort of his Nightmare gave him away.

A tingle in my horns caught my attention, signaling we were right where we had to be. Without warning I dropped Hessian into a dive. He galloped against Wind’s hold, racing toward solid ground, snorting and grunting as he ran. With a whinny he leapt from the air and landed on concrete. A moment later the Nightmare landed similarly.

He curled his lip as I dismounted Hessian, keeping the horse close. “A cemetery? What’s so special about dead humans?”

I couldn’t help but smile as he also dismounted his horse. “Is that all you see?”

“Acres of them.”

“Such a shame your view is so small.” I stepped over a low chain fence, ignoring the sign that said to keep off the hallowed ground. All around me I could feel the spirits of the soldiers that refused to part with their bodies, still not accepting their fates. I knelt next to a headstone with one such soldier. He stood over his grave, staring at his name. He looked barely into his mid-twenties. “Private Evans,” I said, touching the white marble. I tapped in to his memories, sifting through them, finding out why he stayed behind.

He nodded. “Ma’am.”

“You realize this isn’t a dream, right?” I had done this many times. It didn’t hurt any less.

The spirit nodded again. “I can’t leave them. They’re still fighting. My wife, she’s about to have our first kid.”

The stories of the dead varied, but they all held pain. I was not a reaper, and I did not wish to be. I could still lead the dead to rest like they did. I tended not to. I preferred to work with them after they had accepted their fates.

“They need me, Ma’am.”

The headstone told me the most recent tales. Mrs. Evans had already birthed the child. The daughter was three now. Mrs. Evans never remarried. The soldiers visited every-so-often when on leave. I stood and went to his side, placing a finger to his forehead. The spirit gasped as I showed him his friends, his wife. His eyes shined as he saw the little girl. “My daughter…?”

I nodded and smiled. “She’s healthy, doing well. She would have loved to meet her father, but her mom keeps the world going.”

Evans looked to me, still bewildered. “I had a little girl.”

It wasn’t unheard of for spirits to live in a loop, to not know the world around them was still spinning. I merely nodded again. “The world is an ugly thing, but you managed to produce such a beauty to counter it. You should be proud.”

He let out a short laugh, though the smile faded fast. “Are you here to take me away?”

“Only if you’re ready.”

He looked back to the headstone, heavy jaw locked in thought. A tear escaped his eye and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. After a moment of thought, he nodded.

I touched his shoulder. “Thank you for your sacrifice, Private Evans.” Within moments he faded to nothing, leaving my hand hovering.

A heavy scoff sounded from behind me, reminding me I wasn’t alone in the cemetery. “This was to show me what?”

“That there is beauty in everything. Even death.” I turned and didn’t meet his gaze as I walked past him. I placed my hands to the peeling bark of a tree. “What else do you see here?”

“A tree.”

I nodded, staring up at the pink blossoms.

“What is so damned special about a tree? They’re always in cemeteries.”

“Not these.” I tapped the trunk, sending a short pulse through the wood. It immediately released the blossoms, raining soft, pink petals all around us. “A sight of beauty, grown from the soil of the dead.” I caught a whole flower in my palm and smiled at it. “This is my center. I can find beauty in everything.” I took the flower to him and placed it in his hand. “Remarkably enough, I can find it in you as well. Not as easily as I once could, but it is still there.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“You’d be surprised.” I stepped away, enjoying the blossoms again. “The soldiers here died for a cause, each of them. They sacrificed their lives to protect their loved ones, so they could live on.”

“And what does this have to do with my center?”

I finally looked at him, finding myself locked in his pale gaze. “What do you protect?”

He curled his lip. “I protect no one.”

“Then your cause is lost.”

I could see him growing angrier. “Woman I swear—“ He stopped when I took an instinctive step back. I’m not sure how long we stayed that way, but I could for sure see thoughts race behind his eyes. He was the first to look away. “I have no one to protect.”

“You drive them away. It’s what you’ve always done.” I found myself rubbing my arms and I held them in place, gripping tightly. “The others, they protect the children. What do you protect?”

“Nothing. Not for a very long time.”

I forced the guilt away. It wasn’t my fault. It really wasn’t… Was it? I looked to the horses and couldn’t help it as a smile slipped on to my lips. Hessian and the mare were nickering at each other, bumping heads and resting against the other’s neck. At least they had made amends. My smile fell as I realized he had followed my gaze. I tilted my head to the right. “Follow me.”

He did as asked as I led him up the cement pathways, past a large open theater. I could hear tapping getting louder, as well as the click of a shifting gun. I took him to the top of a set of stairs and leaned against a wall, staring at the monument the army man was standing watch over. Beyond it stood the rest of the city, illuminated in all its glory with the morning glow. Pitch looked on in confusion. “What is he doing?”

“It is his duty to stand watch over the grave of forgotten soldiers. Fighters who gave it their all until they were on their last breath, and even then continued to fight. They were soldiers who couldn’t be identified. They are buried here due to their bravery, and are protected at all times by various men in the army.”

“But why guard someone with no idea of who they are?”

“Honor. They do not abandon their own.”

He frowned again. “Can you see them?”

I shook my head. “Their spirits have parted a long time ago. They would have no regrets.” The soldier turned, tapping his boots together. “That is the main cause for a spirit to linger. The more regret, the stronger the anchor.”

We both went silent, merely watching the lone soldier wear the path further into the stones. When he broke the silence, I was not prepared for the question. “Do you have regrets?”

“I—Of course I do. What about you?”

“Some. Nothing can be done about them though.”

“It depends on what you regret. If it can be corrected, it is worth a try.” I straightened without warning and started walking away to the horses. I didn’t look to see if he was following. What would make him feel guilty enough to regret?

I made it to the shadows of a cherry blossom tree before a strong hand found itself on my arm. “I know why you left.”

I looked at the cement. “It’s in the past.”

“It’s a regret I’ve carried for a century, Hana.”

I pulled out of his grip. “Sure you have. Just like the last time you apologized.” I focused on Hessian, seeing him trot off into the woods with the Nightmare. “Looks like we’re stranded. Damned stallion. Knew I should have made him a gelding.”

I turned in time to see Pitch cringe slightly. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“There isn’t.” I sat beneath the tree, looking out at the hundreds of rows of marble headstones.

“Can you see the beauty in this situation?”

I clenched my teeth. “Don’t be a smartass. Your Nightmare is just as guilty.”

“At least two of us are getting along.”

“They’re animals. Rutting is a thing they’ve been doing for a very long time. Especially them.” I continued to keep my sight to the headstones and lost souls as he sat beside me in the grass. “Just because they originate from dark thoughts doesn’t change that.”

I heard him chuckle, which finally brought my attention to him. I would have looked away if he didn’t catch my gaze. “When was the last time we were at a cemetery together?”

“A long time ago.” I swallowed as a flash of an image passed over my vision. Heat flowed through my body at the brief memory of intertwined, writhing bodies on the cold, wet grass.

“Almost a century and a half now.”

I only murmured in agreement as another memory flashed by, full of laughter and playful, possessive bites.

“Halloween, 1862 if I remember correctly. I hope I didn’t… distract you from your duties.”

_“Scream for me, Hana.”_

I cleared my throat and looked down again. “No, not at all. I was still able to keep everyone in line. It was a lot easier to do than now.”

He laughed and I could feel his weight shift. Or was it my weight that shifted? I couldn’t tell. The only thing I could tell was that we were closer, touching actually. “You’ve been doing a fine job with Halloween the past hundred years. I take it you’ve been busy.”

I nodded, biting my lip as I remembered him kneeling in front of me, making my head reel at his touch. “Y-yeah, kids are harder to scare than they once were. I keep busy with finding new things to terrify them with. No time for a personal life when I have to spend personal time with my research. And… pickings are kind of slim when you work with dead things.”

He snorted. “I’m sure a few have a, ah, bone to pick with you. I mean, you do work with a lot of stiffs.”

I shoved at his shoulder, a giggle escaping my restraint. “Don’t be mean.” He shoved back, but in a way I hadn’t felt in a very long time. He was playing around. I laughed. “Don’t you shove me, wiseass!” I pushed a little harder, but he retaliated. My heart skipped a beat as I lost my balance and fell backward. I gripped on to his coat but it didn’t help. I ended up pulling him with me.

We didn’t move. Neither of us dared to. His nose laid mere centimeters from mine. I could feel his breath on my lips. “You said my center was chaos?”

I gave a slight nod. “That is what I believe.” My mind screamed logic, my heart screamed forgiveness. The mixed signals somehow created a powerful sense of confusion, uncertainty, but mostly lust.

“I suppose that is fitting.” I could see his gaze flick over me. He surprised me again by closing the distance between us, pulling my lips to his. A shock immediately flashed through my body and I reacted just as I had in the past, as if nothing had happened. As if we were back in the past a hundred years ago. I pressed against him harder, shifting my mouth open for him.

I could feel his hand wandering up my loose orange crop top, over the black bra beneath. I should have thrown him off, I knew it, but it had been so long… Our kiss grew more frantic, as if it was our source of life. His hands shifted to my back, making me sit up on my knees between his legs. We broke the kiss only long enough to tug my shirt off my body, setting it in the cemetery grass. He was instantly on me again, one hand in my hair, the other on my back, pressing me to him. I pushed on his coat, feeling it slip away from his skin to rest around his arms.

Again my brain screamed to turn him away, but I couldn’t. The kiss was too good, the touching too intense. Instead I let him do as he pleased. I let him mutter sweet nothings, let him touch me as he hadn’t in over a century, let him close. He was gentle, caring. He didn’t do anything dominant or possessive as before. He did something he rarely did before.

He made love to me.

Cheesy, yes, but that is the only way I could explain that morning. He was patient, slow, and deliberate. He said things I hadn’t heard in a very long time. Why did what he did I don’t know, but I, like any other female would, accepted the advances. It didn’t feel like sex, it was deeper than that. If it was only true on my end, I was happy enough with that.

In the end we stayed on the grass under his coat, remembering the times past, even after the humans started coming in to pay their respects. It helped that we were invisible and inaudible to them. I wasn’t sure how long he would be like this, and so ran with it.  The more we talked, the more I realized I was right about his center. While he did represent fear, shadows, nightmares, and whatever else he prided on being, that was just the surface. Below simmered chaos. A complete disregard for good order.

Just the way I remembered.


	4. Chapter 4

The night was still young for us, wherever night lay on Earth. He still needed to try to regain some of his strength. For that, he needed to actually feed off the fear, not use it to convert to Nightmares. We managed to find a target that was well within his skill set. An early twenties female, living all on her own in the city. By her quick pace, she was already nervous enough walking home. The time of night may have also aided her steps.

We followed her into her apartment, slipping through the shadows to keep up. I kept my presence masked so nothing would tip her off about our whereabouts. He needed all the help he could get. I was there to make sure it all went well. She wasted no time in preparing for bed, working out what must have been her nightly routine. I turned my gaze away as she undressed for the night.

He laughed. “Feeling a little naughty?”

“I feel like we shouldn’t watch. Privacy and all.”

“Says the woman who doesn’t mind fucking on hallowed grounds in public.”

I flushed. “That’s different.”

“Is it?”

The lights went out and I held up a finger to silence him, not that it was necessary. I gestured to the bed, where the woman was getting comfortable. “You’re up.”

He nodded and disappeared into the shadows. He manipulated the darkness, bending it to his will. Needle-like strands passed over the window, making an awful sound that sent a pleasant shiver down my spine. The woman shot straight up into bed. I knew what he was doing. He was reading her, finding her greatest fear.

“Hello?”

I heard something fall from the kitchen and shatter, making the woman jump and hold the sheets closer to her body.

“Is someone there?” I watched the woman swallow hard. “I know how to defend myself, buddy!”

The sound of nails on the walls ground out, getting closer and closer to the bed. I was getting chills. I could feel the fear dripping from the woman.

“This isn’t funny!” She looked panicked as she carefully got out of bed. “Who’s there?”

I heard tapping on the vanity across the room and looked at the same time as the woman. I had to smile at his crafty ways. Before my eyes, fog took over the mirror, and he began to write in the moisture. “ _I know what you fear”_ was the first line.

The woman’s breathing came out heavier, her heart began racing. I closed my eyes and relished in the growing terror. It was pure, sweet, and all due to him.

The mirror clouded over again. _“Just how did that child die?”_

The woman closed her eyes. I hadn’t expected our random choice to hold such a secret. “No, no, this isn’t happening. I’m dreaming. I had one too many and now I’m dreaming.”

As she opened her eyes, another line appeared. _“Just what happened that day at the lake?”_

“This isn’t funny!”

The woman held on to her head as memories racked her mind. When she looked up, the words had been replaced again. _“The Boogeyman knows everything that you fear.”_

The fear intensified and the effects of a fear high rushed through my veins. I saw him materialize from the shadows. As his body solidified, I knew I wasn’t the only one who saw him. The woman’s heartrate flew through the roof.

He felt it too, I knew. His lips pulled back in a grin, showing his crooked teeth. His pale eyes shined with malice.

The woman was absolutely petrified. She fell to the floor, a horrified look on her face. Her mouth moved a few times, as if she were trying to form words.

He merely folded his arms behind his back and leaned forward. “Boo.”

The woman shrieked and scrambled to her feet, darting into her adjoining bathroom. Her door slammed behind her. The click of a lock let us know the task had been completed.

I burst into laughter and clapped my hands together. “Brilliantly done!”

He held his hands in front of him. “She saw me?”

I nodded, overcome with glee. “She saw you.”

“She heard me.”

“She can still hear you.” I looked over my shoulder to the dark door. “However I think this one is tapped.” I cast my gaze back to him. “How do you feel?” I wasn’t expecting his answer. He grasped me around my waist and hefted me into a spin, laughing. I held on to his shoulders and instinctively wrapped my legs around him for balance. “I take it you feel great.”

“More than that. I feel feared.” He tilted his head back as he laughed harder. He looked as he did centuries ago. Sure of himself, of who he was.

“That’s wonderful, Oogie. But, ah, would you mind—“ I wasn’t allowed to finish as he pressed his lips to mine. Just as in the cemetery, he wasn’t possessive as he used to be. Before I knew it, my back was to a wall. My head went lighter than it already was from the high I was on from the terror.

He pulled back, his face serious again. I could tell he was on the same high I was. “Why didn’t you give up on me?”

I looked to his lips just to avoid his eyes. “I told you. I couldn’t let you lose your sanity. I loved you once. Due to that, I can’t sit aside and watch you suffer like this.”

“Still just once?”

I nodded and leaned back against the wall, taking what distance I could while he still had our hips pressed together. “There’s just… I can’t live that life, Pitch. I can’t wake up every morning wondering if my boyfriend is still holding on to his sanity enough that he won’t take it out on me.”

He flinched and finally let me go gently. “You have to understand—“

“I understand.” My anger at him came simmering to the surface. A hundred years of unspoken words slithered in my veins. “You have a volatile temper, and I was the convenient target for that temper. What was I going to do? Strike back?”

“You should have!” he snapped, stepping back, a snarl evident in his features. “You should have grown a spine and thrown a few punches of your own!”

My own temper flared and I did what I never thought I could. With a hundred years of anger backing my strength, I slapped him. The sound of skin cracking against skin rang out and my palm began to sting, as well as my eyes. A lump formed in my throat, but I curled my lip to ignore it. “I did strike back. I left. It was a damned good decision on my part.” I shoved at his shoulder as he moved out of my way, still stunned I had actually hit him. “Find your center and regain your power on your own. I was a fool for believing I could help you.”

“Hana…”

I stepped up to the open windowsill, taking to the fire escape platform. “Good luck with your search, Pitch. I hope you find what you’re looking for.” I whistled for Hessian and leapt to the stallion’s back. At that point, I didn’t care if he regained his power or if he succumbed to his madness. I needed to get away from him.

I refused to let him see me cry.


	5. Chapter 5

I leaned back on my bay windowsill on top of the narrow three-story tower I used as a workspace. I took a deep tug from the hose of my small hookah next to me. After a moment I let the thick white smoke out through my nose, watching it quickly fade away. I let out another batch, waving my wrist through the smoke.

Soft nickering sounded next to me and I looked to see Hessian, his head bowed to nudge my shoulder gently. His consciousness pressed to mine and I allowed him in. _“You’ve been sad for months.”_

“Piss off.” I looked away, hitting the hookah again.

_“Halloween is almost upon us. The necromancers have delivered their last batch of spirits to be let loose.”_

“And the Skels and Bats?”

 _“Putting the finishing touches on their wares.”_ He snorted again. _“You haven’t been sleeping.”_

I couldn’t. He had tried to find me that way, to talk to me while my defenses were down. I hadn’t slept much for seven months. I glanced down at the globe on the bottom level, seeing the lights flicker. They had become brighter over the last seven months. I hadn’t ventured must past my home in Germany, but I knew it was him.

I looked up as I felt a cold breeze. I startled as I saw the master of ice sitting in front of me, staff forever clutched in his grasp. I narrowed my eyes. “What do the Guardians want with me?”

Jack pulled a look of mock offense. “I may have taken the role of Guardian, but I am still a neutral party.”

I rolled my eyes. “What do you want, Jack?”

He cast his gaze away. “Fear has been rising again. We know you two have history. We need you to find him and—“

“No.”

He looked back at me, thoroughly confused. “No?”

“I want nothing to do with him.” I hung the hose over the hookah and used Wind’s help to drop to the lower level of my tower, standing in front of my globe. Jack landed beside me. “If Pitch is causing trouble again, it is not my place to stop him. You’re asking me to tell him to stop doing what he was created to do.”

 “You’re the only one he listens to.”

I curled my lip at him. “The balance is still in place, is it not?”

“Yeah, but—“

“Then leave him alone. And do not ask me to look for him.”

He tried to say something else, but seemed to change his mind. “I don’t know why you two split all those years ago, but he needs to be watched.”

“He is not a child.”

“I know he isn’t,” he said, his voice calm and reassuring. “Neutral party, Hana. You can talk to me.”

“I have a holiday to prepare for.”

“I’m only trying to help.”

I flinched as my own words rang out. I knew he was true to his word. He hadn’t turned his back to me like the others. He hadn’t been around when I was reborn. He had come to be when I was still happy in my life.

“Hana, you can talk to me. What did he do to you?”

I leaned against the guard rail of the ground floor surrounding my globe, gripping on tight. “Don’t make me go back to then.”

“Hana, please.”

“It doesn’t matter, Jack. It’s a hundred years past.”

“It does matter!” He grabbed my shoulder and turned me around, making me see the concern in his features. I hadn’t expected him to care so much.

“Why?”

“Because unlike the others I give a damn about you.”

I narrowed my eyes, uncertain of his angle. “What are you saying?”

“Why do you think I haven’t messed with your day? The only thing I do is provide chills in the air to help. I just never approached you because of him. He threatened my life when I first saw you work. He was clear when he told me to stay away from you.”

Now he made sense. I reached up and took his hand from my shoulder. “Please don’t.”

Realization passed across his face. “You still—“

“I don’t know. There hasn’t been anyone else. I don’t want there to be.”

“Are you so sure about that?”

I wasn’t. I wasn’t sure of anything anymore. I noted how close Jack had stood. I shrugged past him. “Go home, Jack.”

“He beat you.”

I froze.

“I know he did. That’s why you left, isn’t it?”

“Please, just go.”

“I only want to help you.”

“I don’t need your help.” I kept my voice level. “Please. Leave.”

He went quiet and circled around in front of me. “I’ll leave, if that’s truly what you want. I want to see something first.”

Before I could say a word otherwise he kissed me. It didn’t feel right. Even his touch was cold. It was a painful reminder that Jack was not him.

I pushed him off, glaring at him. “Now get out.”

I watched him nod and, with the help of Wind, he was gone.

I rubbed my wrist against my lips and retreated to the lower levels underground to oversee the wares. Hessian materialized from the shadows, standing by my side. “Don’t judge me.”

 _“He came on to you.”_ He snorted, the sound close enough to a person clearing their throat. _“Pray that Pitch will never find out._ ”

I scoffed. “Would it matter? I’m not afraid of him.”

_“Yes, but you would not be the one missing a limb.”_

I rolled my eyes and corrected a few of the things the Skels had painted wrong, pushing them in the right direction. “He was a possessive ass in the past, but I doubt he would do such a thing.” I observed one of the pumpkins, finding something off about it.

_“You obviously never saw how he looked at you.”_

“No, it would seem I haven’t.” My patience was wearing thin. Did no one understand I didn’t want to think of him, or remember anything about him? That I had been avoiding him for seven months for a reason? I thought he could be changed, that he could have been the man I fell for so many centuries ago. I frowned. “Do you think I was rash with my choice?”

 _“Of leaving him behind? Yes.”_ The stallion stood in front of me and kept our eyes locked together. _“You still haven’t told me why you took off that night. From what I heard in the cemetery, you two were doing well.”_

Very well indeed. I had almost forgotten the skills he possessed outside of frightening others.

_“A man in his position cannot change overnight. I understand what he did to you in the past, but that does not mean he will do it again. He had lost his mind. That takes time to come back from. He needs you to not give up on him.”_

I gestured to the globe above us. “He’s doing well enough on his own. I haven’t been able to use that thing for a nightlight in ages.”

Hessian looked over to my worktable, where I housed my glass spheres. _“Is he?”_

I hadn’t looked. Hadn’t bothered to see if he really was doing as well as I thought. The globe could have been glowing brighter due to the increased paranoia of the humans, what with their bombs, shootings, and war. It could have had nothing to do with Pitch. “You’re trying to trick me into checking up on him.”

_“I’m not.”_

I rolled my eyes and stalked over to the worktable, placing a sphere in the holder. “Fine. We’ll see if you’re right. I say he’s doing fine.” I ran my hand over the smooth surface, bringing the shadows to life inside. With a focus of will, the shadows gave way to his lair, where he impatiently paced in front of his own globe. I felt my hear race as I saw him, and nothing I said to myself would slow it down. However, as I looked closer, something seemed wrong. As if he was fighting with himself, almost. He had his powers back, his mentality was stable again, so why was he so upset? Had the Guardians approached him to tell him to back off on their own?

I shook my head. No. They’d rather have me stick my neck out and tell him to stop being who he was meant to be.

As I watched on, I could hear him muttering. I couldn’t tell what. I was worried, yes, but not enough to do something about it. He was a well-grown man; he could take care of himself. I ran my hand over the crystal and let the shadows return to normal. “See? He’s fine.”

_“That didn’t look fine to me.”_

It didn’t, but what could I do about it? If he was facing another problem, he could deal with it on his own.

My horns tingled painfully and I put a hand up to stabilize it. I could feel power surge under my flesh, amplifying the skills I already had. The time had come to send the creatures out.

Halloween was upon us.


	6. Chapter 6

I observed my work from afar in a New England town, one of my particular favorites to visit. It was closing in on two in the morning now. The rush of the holiday was over, and I had had my fill of fear. My helpers did their part, and they were now off terrifying the lone wolves out, the ones seeking to prove they were braver than they really were.

I overheard one such group of teens say something of the sort. They were daring each other to enter the dilapidated house on the edge of town. They insisted it was haunted, and I wouldn’t argue that. I had made a deal with the spook that inhabited the house many years ago. The spirit had died from despair over his daughter’s unfortunate and early demise. He had been taking care of her after her mother had passed from illness. I had located her and swore to let her visit on All Hallows so long as he swore to work for me. It was an easy trade-off. The spirit didn’t have to do much, just rattle a few windows to scare children passing by. They would usually quicken their paces or scream for their mothers.

One of the men in the group of four pulled his other male companion to the side. “C’mon Jimmy, it’s just a house. We can do this.” He looked to the two waiting females. “Besides, you can give a comforting arm to Jessica, if you know what I mean.” The darker skinned male waggled his eyebrows at the paler man, still in his vampire costume.

The one known as Jimmy rolled his eyes at his werewolf-donned friend. “I told you to back off with that, man. We’ll do that when we feel like it. Just because Jess wants to wait doesn’t mean anything.”

“Uh-huh, sure. And I don’t know if you saw the weather forecast. They said pigs were going to fly.”

I could see Jimmy rolling his eyes again. “Believe what you want, Kris. And besides, a haunted house? That’s the worst place to have sex for the first time.”

I had to disagree, but that was just my warped lifestyle. I leaned forward on the fence I had been standing behind, invisible to the humans.

“Have it your way,” Kris answered. “I’ll be with Latoya. You know, since she actually spreads her legs.” He shook his head. “I mean, damn, I know that sounds bad, but after two years and still nothing from Jess?”

Jimmy shrugged. “Her family is super religious, dude. Just drop it.”

“Your loss, man.” He parted from his friend and joined up with the girls, pulling one dressed in a witch costume into a tight embrace. “So we all ready to check out this tacky place?” He grinned to both girls as Jimmy approached as well. “You two aren’t scared, are you?”

The lighter skinned female dressed as a bee scoffed and folded her arms. “Puh-lease Kris. It’s just an old shack, nothing more to it.” She adjusted her costume and looked to her boyfriend. “Besides, you can take it, right Jimmy?”

He grinned. “Of course I can. Just like you said, just an old shack.”

Latoya was the only one to look nervous. “I don’t know, guys. I mean, my dad grew up near here. He said it’s no joke. He was friends with the daughter that died and knew about the father’s suicide afterward.”

“Just means we’ll have to check it out,” Kris said. “We’re stupid teenagers still. We’re supposed to do stupid things like trespass.”

She rolled her eyes. “If we die I’m haunting your ass, I hope you know.”

I watched them head towards the house, laughing at their plans, thinking themselves so brave. I knew the spirit would not be up for actually scaring the kids silly. Usually what he did was mild and in good fun. At the moment, he’d be wandering the gardens with his daughter, catching up on what was going on. He wouldn’t be aware of anything going on in his domicile.

And I was pretty famished.

I slipped through the shadows, entering the house well before they did, emerging in one of the upstairs bedrooms. I crept into the hallway, leaning against the rails, watching the door slowly creak open. I smirked as I felt their trepidation growing. I just needed them a little more scared to start feeding off their fear. As soon as they were clear of the door, I sent a tendril of will to it, slamming it closed behind them. The shrieks of the girls ran up my spine in such a pleasant way, letting a shiver erupt over my skin.

“Just the wind,” Kris said, rubbing his hands up Latoya’s bare arm. “C’mon baby, we got this.”

I hummed in amusement and glanced up at the chandelier above their heads. With a twist of my wrist, I sent my shadows to it, making the dangling glass chime as it moved.

“I don’t like this,” Latoya said as their tension continued to grow.

Children’s fear was a delicacy, yes, but for a young adult, it was sweeter. Their imaginations still ran wild like a child, though they understood they were not indestructible. They knew that they could die. Too many tragedies in the world taught them that.

I had to draw out the night. It had been a long time since I was able to enjoy myself. The sensation of absorbing terror was second only to sex for me. A creak of the floorboards in the room I had entered in drew my attention to it. I narrowed my eyes and brushed it off as the house itself creaking as houses tended to do.

I watched the kids shuffle into the old parlor, and I didn’t even have to do anything for the next scare. An old Grandfather clock chimed off to the side, making them all jump and scream. I couldn’t help but laugh. They were such easy prey.

I had kept my voice still muted from them, but they could still feel something off in the house. Jessica gripped on to Jimmy’s arm. “I don’t like this. We should go.”

Jimmy nodded to Kris. “Yeah dude, this place ain’t right.”

“You’re just fucking paranoid,” Kris answered. “It’s an old house. There’s a draft in here somewhere.”

I leaned off the railing and kept my footsteps light as I wandered to a window pane, holding my nails to it. I slowly dragged them down, making the glass shriek under the sharp tips.

“What if what they’re saying is true?” Latoya asked with a shaky tone. “Not about the guy who died here, but…”

Kris scoffed, more to steady his nerves. “What, that the Boogeyman really exists? Stop listening to your little sister. She’s just a kid.”

My anger snapped. They thought I was Pitch messing with them? How dare they?

A familiar chuckle rose to my right and I glanced over. I sneered at the doorway. “What the hell are you doing here?” I hissed. “This is my night, not yours.”

Pitch merely shrugged and crossed his arms, leaning into the doorframe. “Apparently they think it’s me. Shall we let them believe so? It wouldn’t take much to prove it. You’ve gotten them riled up enough.”

I advanced on him, still livid at his appearance. I shoved him into the old bedroom and slammed the door shut behind me, knowing very well the sound would scare the kids more. “Stay out of this!”

He put a hand over his heart in mock sincerity. “I’ve done nothing but regain my title. Parents have begun to tell their children the old stories that I will take the naughty ones away in the night and eat them.” He gave his crooked smile. “And what recognition have you gotten tonight?”

I curled my lip. “I don’t need recognition. I represent everything to do with tonight. So long as people celebrate, I have what I need to survive.” I gestured to the door. “Those kids are my last target for the night.”

“And I see you’re doing a bang-up job of scaring them,” he responded, sarcasm dripping from his words.

“Just because they think it is you doesn’t matter.” I felt my anger start to slip. “What are you even doing here?”

“Watching you slip up in what you do best. Is that all you can do on your own? Petty parlor tricks?”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re infuriating.” I turned my back to him and went to leave the bedroom. I was stopped and spun around and backed into the door hard enough to make the sound echo.

“I’m infuriating?” He put his hands to the door, keeping me in place. “I didn’t promise to help you and then take off at the first chance.”

“That isn’t why I left,” I said calmly. “You’ve done well enough for yourself the past seven months. Well enough that Jack came to see me to tell you to back off.”

He really did look angry then. “It isn’t Frost’s place to seek you out.”

“Yes, especially not after you threatened his life if he did.” I arched my brow. “I wonder why that is.”

“He looked at you wrong.” He leaned in closer. “What did he do?”

“Told me to find you to tell you to leave the children alone. I told him to leave, he wouldn’t. He confessed he had admired me for some time.” I rolled the rest of the encounter around in my head. He was angry already, and I didn’t care about the repercussions. “He kissed me.”

I could feel his grip slacken. I refused to tell him that I broke it off immediately afterward in disgust. “I’ll kill him.”

“I do not belong to you anymore, Pitch Black. I haven’t for a long time. If I really wanted to lie with another man, I would.”

“But you haven’t.”

He had me there. I hadn’t bothered to look. I wasn’t lying when I told him all those months ago that I had no time to seek out companionship. And fucking humans was well beneath me. “It isn’t like you haven’t done the same.”

“I haven’t. Hard to do so when no one can see you, when no one can hear you but children. And when anything you could touch is a human. I refuse.” He curled his lip. “What else did he do?”

“I made him leave.” I used his slacked grasp to get out of the way. “You don’t need to kill him over something so trivial.”

“No, I suppose I don’t. I can maim him, at least.”

I let out a breath of a laugh and looked at him again. “Really, don’t. I took care of it. I would have been able to stop him if he tried anything else.”

“Would you now?”

“I can protect myself. Besides, it is Halloween. You know first-hand what I am capable of tonight. If I don’t want something to happen, it won’t.”

His gaze grew darker, but he grinned all the same. “Is that so?”

I couldn’t imagine what was going through his head. As I was about to answer, I heard one of the other doors upstairs open and close, closely followed by another. I cracked a grin of my own. “Teenagers are so predictable. Give them a private place and they’ll ruin it in a moment.”

“Not just teenagers.” There was a subtle growl to his words, sending a shiver up my spine. “What should we do with them?”

“We?” I scoffed, not able to believe his gall. “No, there is no ‘we’ here.”

“And why not? We’ve had great results in the past.”

I couldn’t argue that point. Granted, it had been a hundred years ago, and people were a bit easier to scare in 1912 and earlier. The results had always been grand. I could only do so much at a time on my own. With a mental sigh I crossed my arms. “What do you have in mind, Oogie?”

He seemed to catch on to the change in nicknames. His face turned thoughtful as he paced around me, making me feel very uncomfortable. He knew I hated pacing. “How well can you still act?”

I repressed a shiver that wanted to trickle down my spine as he ran a finger over my exposed shoulders peeking out of my crop top. I jumped as he gripped the front of the already loose shirt and ripped it almost in half. “What the hell!”

“As terrifying as you can be, I’d like to see you play a different role for this, given circumstances.”

“Which is what?” I narrowed my eyes in confusion as he opened a vein on his arm with a sharpened nail. He trickled the blood over my chest, making three large mock gashes. He could have just put the real things there to make it authentic, but he didn’t. “A victim of what?”

He gripped my arm with a bloody palm, leaving a solid imprint. “A victim of me, of course.”

I couldn’t stop the grin that slipped as his wound vanished. “So full of yourself.” My heart skipped a beat as he mussed up my short hair a bit.

“I’m just aware of my talents,” he rumbled, his voice lowered. “All of them.”

The tingle in my spine returned, and my hands twitched against my restraint, almost giving in to tossing him to the bed behind us and staying there until morning. This was exactly the reason I had been avoiding him. I couldn’t stop my body from reacting to even the smallest of touches. My eyes widened and my hands flew up to stop him as I felt him tug on my choker.

“It’s part of the appearance, Hana.”

I could stand the marks on my wrists; they didn’t show anything in particular. The only scars on my body that bothered me was the mark of my death. Before my eyes the villagers called for the end. I pain tightened around my throat. I blinked and it was all gone. My fingers gripped his coat tightly.

“It still pains you, doesn’t it?”

I could only nod and lean my head against his chest.

“The collar stays on then.”

I had expected him to rip it off. Or tell me to suck it up. How much had he changed? He was still the same man in many ways, but not all of them. Was Hessian right?

“I think we’ve given them enough silence to grow comfortable again,” he said, not bothering to unlatch my hands. “How well can you shriek?”

“Not the best in the world, but still believable.”

“Then it is time I told you exactly how to get every drop of terror out of those adolescents.”

I pulled away from him in time to see his crooked smile grow. I gave him a grin of my own. “Just like old times.”


	7. Chapter 7

Buildup was something he was much better at than I. As a creature of pure shadows, he could use them to change in shape and size, use them to control the atmosphere itself. I, on the other hand, could only manipulate the shadows. Due to that, I had to be crafty with how I kept tension rising.

I stood in the heavy shadows of the doorway, feeling the very aura of the house shift from peace to malice. I had sent a Shadowbat, a messenger creature of my own creation, to the spirit of the house, telling him to not come back inside until daybreak. He would not interrupt anything we did to the kids. Not if he wanted to keep seeing his daughter every year.

I heard metal against wood, dragging slowly from the other side of the hall. He hauled his scythe past the doors in such a way that even they would hear the haunting scuffle. My blood threatened to boil at the sound, but I kept my head level. Though that was before his dark, disembodied laugh echoed off the walls. He began to hum the tune of a folklore we had heard many years ago, one that he easily fit the description of.

_“Baby, baby, naughty baby; Hush, you squalling thing I say.”_

My part was easy. I was simply the prop in this one. A good end to my tiring evening. I let out the best blood-curdling shriek I could, and vanished into the shadows to avoid being seen. Not long after, both doors the teens had vacated into swung open, and the young men stumbled into the hallway. Kris had to hold up his costume’s pants.

They both looked at each other, fear radiating off of them in rich, thick waves. Jimmy spoke first. “The fuck was that?”

“Someone’s gotta be messing with us. Probably Curtis being a douche if he saw us come in here. Should go put his ass in place.”

Jimmy dropped his voice to a whisper. “What about the girls? We can’t leave them alone.”

Kris muttered an agreement and both tried to reenter their respective rooms.

Sharpened nails scraped across the bay window next to the rooms on the opposite side of the hall, stopping them in their tracks. _“Peace this moment, peace or maybe; Bonaparte will pass this way…”_

I used the moment to do my part, letting out another shriek, this time from the shadows.

The boys were panicking now, unable to brush it off as a prank. The girls began to question them from the bedrooms. Their fear joined in with the boys’.

_“Baby, baby, he’s a giant. Tall and black as Rouen steeple; And he breakfasts, dines, rely on’t. Every day on naughty people.”_

I felt chills run down my arms as I became entranced with his recital, almost forgetting to remain in character. I emerged from the shadows and stumbled out from the doorframe so the boys would actually see me this time. I leaned on the doorframe, giving them pleading eyes.

They had seen the movement and jumped back initially. Kris scoffed and seemed to relax. “Some dumb bitch with a glowing eye trick.” It was then he saw the rest. “And look, fake blood. Goin’ all out to scare people. That’s sick, lady.”

I let out a feeble whimper, muttering under my breath.

Jimmy held his friend back with a hand and left the safety of his doorway, creeping towards me. “Is that a costume, or are you really hurt, lady?”

I only tilted my head in response and opened my mouth a few times. I mocked not being able to breathe, as if I was suddenly in the midst of a panic attack.

As I expected, Jimmy ran forward to see if I was alright. As he moved I fell to the ground, continuing my act. I added back the muttering as I curled into a small ball. He rolled me to my side so he could see my eyes. “Are you alright? Who did this to you?”

I stopped my act and grinned. “The boogeyman knows all,” I whispered, my eyes wide, relishing his look of confusion.

“What?”

As a response, I began to laugh hysterically. Before his eyes I sank into the shadows. “He is not the only deadly creature of the night, children!”

As if on cue, the folklore continued, his voice now growling in delight, echoing off the walls. _“Baby, baby, if he hears you. As he gallops past the house; Limb from limb at once he’ll tear you, Just as pussy tears a mouse.”_

The girls ran into the hallway, their costumes in various states of disarray. “What’s going on?” Latoya asked. She gripped Kris’s arm in terror as I rose out of the shadows. “Holy fuck!” she yelled as Jessica screamed.

I only laughed as a shadow formed behind them, scythe in hand. “There are two creatures that go bump in the night, my prey,” I whispered through my rasp.

_“And he’ll beat you, beat you, beat you, and he’ll beat you all the pap.”_

They looked as if they didn’t know what to do. Their legs had locked up, making them stand perfectly still. Mine was they only face they focused on, not knowing where the other voice was coming from.

_“And he’ll eat you, eat you, eat you; Every morsel snap-“_

I playfully growled and snapped my teeth at them to back them up-

_“-snap-“_

-right into his chest. They shrieked and looked behind them, and they stood paralyzed in fear.

Pitch only took the opportunity to grin, malice in his eyes. He held up his fingers and snapped them. _“-snap.”_

They gathered themselves and ran over each other on the stairs, tripping countless times as they yelled at each other to move. Threatened whoever had the idea to come to a house full of demons. They didn’t even bother looking back as they threw open the front door, screaming the entire way down the walkway.

I held my sides from laughter at the top of the stairway, my mind on a high from the fear. It had been such a long time since I had been able to scare anyone like that in one go. I found I missed it dearly. I missed the companionship. I missed not having to do everything on my own. And I missed how potent the fear high was. I found myself wanting to make things right, if only to have this again. I wanted to have things go back to how they were well over a hundred years ago, before he had started losing his mind. He needed to change, yes, but I had to be willing to be patient to help him through that change.

He stood by me as my laughing subsided to a thoughtful look. “Still say you don’t need my help?”

Before I could second guess myself, or anything at all, I held on to his coat and leaned up to crash my lips to his. He seemed stunned for only a moment before he responded, pushing me back against the wall, making me wrap my arms around his neck.

He growled against my skin, pulling back just slightly. “I thought you’d stop whatever you didn’t want. Last I checked, you didn’t want me.”

“Just shut up.” I pulled him back. Both of us could not hold back our sounds of pleasure, moaning and sighing into the other’s skin.

We stumbled into one of the rooms the kids had just been in, the fear high urging us on, along with desperation. I pushed his coat from his shoulders, and he moved his arms from me just to let it fall as he did the same to the remains of my shirt, forcing us apart for only a second. Even that second was too long. I didn’t even feel him reach back to unhook my bra. I did, however, feel him rip it from me, grasping my breasts and rolling them in his hands. I arched my chest closer to him, whimpering as he passed over my nipples, making me realize how sensitive they had become.

Heat began to pool between my legs, making me squirm to try to alleviate it just a bit. He must have noticed. He hefted me to his hips and sat on the bed, making me kneel over his lap. We parted only for breath, letting ourselves assess how far we had gotten. He caught my eyes. “Do you really want this?” he breathed. “Or will you take what I give you and run off again?”

I bit my lip and stroked the back of his neck. “I won’t run this time, Oogie.” I dragged my nails over his taught muscles, eliciting a moan and a shiver from him. His eyes closed, his lips parted slightly, soaking up each drag of the sharp points. “I want it like it was. I’ve missed you too much.”

He hummed in response. His fingers held me tighter to him. “I’ve missed you too, Hana.” He looked at me again. “But it still feels like my mind is playing tricks on me, even after all the control I’ve regained these past few months.”

“No tricks. Only treats.” He grinned at my words, as did I. “I do still love you, Oogie. It’s hard not to. So long as you show me you can control yourself, I won’t leave. Not this time.”

He took my lips again for a moment. “I can at least promise you that,” he muttered into my skin. “I never stopped loving you either.”

I made him look at me. “Prove it.” A mix of the fear high and the remainder of my strength from Halloween flowed through me, sending a wave of need through me. “Fuck me, and prove it.”

He had always loved how I acted on my night. Each Halloween I became more insatiable, or had in the past with him. During my century alone, it had mainly manifested into anger, though in recent years it came as heavy depression. This was a welcomed change, and one I needed him to fix. He gave a possessive growl and nodded. He nudged me off of him to the bed, leaning up on his knees. I felt a tug on my neck, realizing he had put a lead on the D-ring of my choker that also housed the skull charm. He was using it for its original purpose: a collar.

I followed the way he pulled as he spread his knees for better balance. I knew what he wanted, and did so without a word of command. I reached for the button of his pants, relishing the sight of him pulling in his firm stomach to give me more room. I trailed my blackened lips down his flesh as I pulled down the zipper. I wasn’t as good with buildup as he was, but I still had a few things I was good at. I pulled his pants open and down just enough to free his shaft, seeing how hard I had already made him. The freedom alone made him moan in relief. I teased his silky flesh, remembering all the bumps and veins. I leaned forward and trailed my tongue around his tip, hearing him take in a harsh breath between his teeth. He held on to my hair, sending tingles down my spine as each follicle was pulled taught.

When I took him into my mouth, he let out a loud groan. “Mm, just like that…”

I flattened my tongue against him as I moved, creating more pressure. I held him in place with one hand, using the other to twist up and down against my mouth. I could feel how long it had been for him by the way his body twitched against his control. It made me wonder dirty things. Things that I voiced openly due to my fear high. “How long did you have to please yourself for?”

“Too long.” He was under the same effects, and I knew his filter, what remained of one, was long gone.

“How often?”

“Too often.” He glared at me as I pulled off completely, stroking him only with my hand as I teased him.

I curled my tongue only around his tip, making him groan. “When?”

“Last night.” I rewarded him by resuming my pace, relishing in his sharp hiss of breath followed by a moan.

I wanted to know what he was thinking about, what made him please himself. What had been the subject of his fantasies? I pulled off again. “What made your blood boil, Oogie?” I licked his tip again, lapping up a bead of his fluids, remembering how sweet he was from his diet of fear.

“I planned to see you.” He moaned and pulled a bit on my hair as he held tighter. “I was going to find you tonight and hope the night went this well.” He swallowed a growl and pulled me off as his breath came out in shakes. He used the lead to make me kneel before him so he could loosen the bindings of my own shorts. I sucked in a sharp breath of my own as his lips met my throat and his teeth found purchase in my skin. He teased the flesh while he shifted the shorts down my hips. His hands nudged my shoulders gently, letting me lie on my back. He pulled the shorts and the panties below from my legs, tossing them over his shoulder, leaving me only in my orange and black stripped thigh-high socks. He had always loved them on me, even when they were stockings in the older years. That was one thing he had made clear in the cemetery months ago; his love of those socks. It was a fetish of his, in a way.

He spread my thighs, opening myself up to him. He leaned between my legs, kissing up my thighs, over the cloth at first and then onto skin. My heart hammered as I watched him get closer and closer. My sex felt so tight with anticipation. Just as he reached the juncture of my hips he moved back and did the same to the other leg, making me whine in disappointment. He cackled into my flesh, showing it was exactly what he wanted me to do. His hands ran under my legs and over my hips, using his thumbs to hold me open, exposing my clit to him and the air.

All at once he stopped, and I had never felt so wound up. I wanted to take his head and shove it between my legs. The lingering power of Halloween flowing through my veins with the high screamed for me to do it. The only thing that stopped me was his eyes.

“Why the fuck did I ever let you go…?” he muttered. He was taking in my body, remembering it again. His gaze only amped up my anticipation. His eyes met mine again, and my heart broke at how much pain he had hidden behind them. “I’m so sorry for hurting you, Hana.”

“Prove it to me,” I said, barely more than a whisper over my rasp. It was more of a plea.

He leaned down again, this time encasing me with his lips, his tongue running over my clit. I cried out with how good it felt, liquid fire spreading through me with each flick of his tongue. His purr of satisfaction reverberated through me, sending a shock up my core. With how long it had been, and with how good he felt, I couldn’t last. He pulled back only to take in air. He wound me up so tight I could barely breathe. My chest felt tight, and my sex was on fire. I could only let out whimpers of encouragement, growing louder with each passing second. I reached down and held on to one of his hands, feeling him entwine our fingers. I gripped hard as a ripple broke free from my sex. It wasn’t quite enough.

I never wanted him to stop. I twitched as he drove me closer, wound me up more. My head fell back as he stroked the fire he created, my throat tight against my cries. I knew I was close, oh-so-close. I held his hand tighter, using my free one to wrap in his hair as he had done to me. He moaned against my flesh. Another ripple tore through my core. As the ripple broke, he brought me to my limit. My sex exploded in a white-hot fire, forcing a loud cry to escape my throat. My back arched from the old bed, but he followed relentlessly, never stopping. Refusing to stop. My fingers gripped his hair so tight I could barely feel them. All I could feel was the bliss he sent through me, even after he slowed down and pulled away.

He gave me no chance to fully calm down. He leaned up on his knees and pulled me to him, resting his cock against my folds. The shock of the touch felt so good. He pulled his hips back just enough to sink himself into my body, both of us moaning as he filled up my still-tight walls. He leaned back, his whole body rolling with his hips as he filled me up over and over again, pulling against the aftershocks of my orgasm, riling me up again easily. Each thrust made me moan. He held on to my hips tightly, using his grip to aid his thrusts.

I needed more of him. I started to rock with him. He groaned and jerked a bit. He never stopped thrusting as he leaned forward on his hands, sliding onto his forearms, pressing full flush against me. I couldn’t help myself as I caught his lips with mine, wrapping my arms around his neck to keep him close. He didn’t care. His own snaked under my arms to hold on to my shoulders, his thighs spreading for better balance. I held my legs tighter to him, and instantly felt him bring me close to orgasm again. I moaned against his lips with each quick thrust, getting higher and higher in tone with how tight I was. His groans told me he felt it, too. I pulled away, my head tilting back as I came, a cry escaping my throat. His relentless strokes only kept me on that peak, never letting me stop. I kept tightening around him, and he kept his pace. I couldn’t take much more, but never wanted him to stop.

Every crude sound we made echoed off the walls. The room smelled heavily of sex. I couldn’t think. I didn’t want to think. Everything I wanted was right there with me, and I with him. My nails dug into his skin, my fingers tugged at his hair, everything I knew he loved. He let out a weakening moan of his own, moving to sink his teeth into my neck, inflicting pain he knew I loved. My climax hit again, and I was so tight I wondered how he was still able to thrust into me.

He moaned into my neck and held himself up again, holding on to my hips. He cursed and pulled out, spilling on my belly with a long, satisfied groan. Both of us struggled to catch our breath, our satisfied grins enough to convey words. He leaned back once sure he was finished and rested his weight against the wall the bed was pushed against. He motioned for me to join him as I used the old sheets to clear off his mess. I shifted over and laid my head on his bare chest, listening to his erratic heartbeat while my own tried to calm down.

I waited for his heartrate to return to normal, running a finger around the scar on his chest over his heart. He raised his arm so I could sit more comfortably, and so he could wrap the arm around my shoulders. “Pitch?”

“What is it?”

“Can we ever go back to how it was? Before everything went to shit, obviously.”

I felt him shrug. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t have an answer to that.”

I nodded. What we did had shown me how well we worked together when nothing was going wrong, and I missed the company. I missed going with him on nightmare runs. I missed the banter, the lessons, not sleeping alone. He wasn’t losing his mind as he once was.

“So long as you stay, we’ll make it work somehow.”

“I won’t run. You deserved it the first time, though.”

I saw him roll his eyes. “I know I did. I didn’t deserve the second.” He sighed and shifted. “I’ve been through hell more times than I can count, Hana. Trying to regain my title, trying to be believed in again, all to remember who I was before those wretched Guardians took over. Change does not come within a moment. It’s been a long progress taking hold of my sanity again.”

“I just don’t want to have to fight back next time.”

“There won’t be a next time. A few snaps here and there, yes, but nothing more.”

If he was sincere I couldn’t tell, but I knew I’d have some time yet before I could fully put my trust back into him. “I want to stay in my tower.”

“If that is what you wish.”

“I-I want to take it slower this time.”

“We’ve fucked both times we’ve seen each other this past year. How is that slow?”

I shoved at his shoulder. “With everything else. Besides, the Guardians want you to back off the children yet. They probably only gave you a pass this long due to Halloween. If they find out we’ve made amends that could be bad for both of us. They will try to use me to get to you, and that will just be an irritation I don’t need.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Jack already came to me to look for you, and that was with them knowing we had split a hundred years ago. If they knew anything had returned to how it was, that I had helped you find your center, they could very well try to use me. That won’t end well for them.”

He scoffed. “They wouldn’t do that.”

“Bunny would.”

“Bunny talks a big game.”

“Even so, I don’t want to risk it. For now, we stay in our own lairs.” I leaned up and bit at his ear, feeling him shiver. “We make it seem like we still hate each other.”

He laughed. “With how we fuck some days, it seems like it.”

I bit harder. “You love it, don’t lie.” I trailed kisses along his jawline, tracing his lips with my fingers. “They need us, you, just as we need them. Give the humans too much chaos, they all die and we lose our purpose.” I leaned up and replaced my fingers with my lips, catching his in a fast peck. “Give the humans too much joy and hope, and they will have no fear.”

He leaned up and caught my lips again, drawing out the kiss. I shifted them open and he accepted the offer, making his tongue dance with mine. My fingers trailed along the scar over his heart, feeling a shiver run through his body. He only slightly pulled away. “You do believe me when I say I am trying to keep the balance, right?”

It took me a moment but I nodded. I felt the tugs of exhaustion catch up to me. He helped me up and I started to gather up my clothes while he fixed his. I frowned at the torn shirt. “I liked this one.”

“I’ll find you a new one.” Once both dressed, we left the house and summoned the horses, who had found each other again it seemed since they ran up from the same place instead of materializing.

I couldn’t stop my grin. “It seems they’re getting along well.”

“So it would seem.” He watched as I pulled myself on Hessian’s back, gripping his reins hard. “I am behaving, you know that.”

I let a laugh slip. “I know you are, Oogie. Keep it that way.” With a snap of Hessian’s reins I was in the air, taking the fastest route I knew back to my tower where I could hide away in my home.

Little did I know that, while he would behave himself as promised, another forgotten figure refused to make such a promise.


	8. Chapter 8

For a month and a half, things continued to improve between us. He would either retire to my home in Germany when the sun began to rise, or I would stay in his lair in Venice. His Nightmare Onyx and Hessian also seemed to be getting on well. The globe in my tower continued to glow brightly through the nights, much to the annoyance to the Guardians. Since we were still keeping the balance, they could do nothing about it.

He kept to his word and behaved himself. He still scared anyone he could, but at least he wasn’t turning them into terrible creatures as he once had long before I was even born. There was still one old habit he kept to. Some days while staying with him, I’d wake to find him in his chair by the fire, his gaze taken by a single gold locket. In all the centuries I had known him, I never asked to look inside, nor wanted to know why he would look so sad. He deserved to keep secrets of his past, just as I did.

Christmas was fast approaching, a time of year that was supposed to be filled with miracles and joy. I never interfered with the other’s days, just as they never interfered with mine. That didn’t stop Pitch from wanting to have a little fun. I had to use my best, ah, influential talents to keep him from doing anything more than spread his Nightmares just like any other night. He grudgingly promised not to ruin the buildup to North’s one night a year.

I sat in an oval chair on the wooden ground floor of my tower, absentmindedly petting one of my Shadowbats as I stared at the globe. I had seen it flicker strangely earlier, taking my attention. It wasn’t too odd for it to glimmer here and there as Pitch was out on his own, but this had been different. It was centralized and had lasted a few minutes. His flickers never lasted more than five seconds.

The lights came on again and I jumped to my feet, ignoring the squeak of the ‘bat as it was rudely woken by landing on the floor. I rushed to my workstation and put a glass sphere on the holder. The shadows inside only gave way to darkness, and I could make out a few lumps in snow. I ran my hand over it again to get it closer.

I almost knocked it from the holder as I realized what the lumps were.

The lumps were that of teenagers, torn asunder. Their bodies stained the snow red. I felt sick and turned my gaze away, hoping the Guardians wouldn’t believe Pitch capable of something like this.

I watched the globe closely for a week, never mentioning what I saw in the sphere when he was around. He’d leave for the night, and I’d keep my post, my tension mounting as the lights glowed brighter each night. What was making everyone so scared? I hadn’t seen an area so lit up since I created the globe.

On the tenth day, four days before Christmas, I insisted I go out in the field with him. He made no indication that he noticed the lights, and agreed that I could come with him. The whole night as we poisoned the dreams of adults and children alike, I kept my eyes open, looking for anything other than us, Tooth’s fairies, and Sandy’s Dreamsand wandering around. I was so preoccupied I didn’t take into consideration how much fear I was putting into a woman’s dream, and ended up giving her a night terror she couldn’t wake from.

He noticed however and corrected my mistake, shifting the sands to that of one of his Nightmares. “You’re distracted tonight,” he muttered as the small horse ran rampant over the woman. Her cries had died down, but her face was still contorted in a form of pain.

“Something is wrong,” I confessed, stroking the Nightmare as it came closer.

I didn’t expect him to nod. “The lights have been brighter.”

“I was wondering if you’d noticed.” The Nightmare ran over my shoulders and nuzzled me before returning to work. “What is it?”

He shook his head, catching my gaze. “I’m not sure. It isn’t my doing; I’ve been keeping my word.”

“I believe you.” We left the house through the shadows, standing on the roof of the apartment building, looking down at Onyx and Hessian as they attempted to graze in the snow-covered dark grass. “Should we be worried?”

“Doubtful.”

“This thing is killing people, Oogie. We don’t kill.”

“You and I don’t. This thing obviously does.” He made me look up at him. “If it becomes a threat to us, to you, we will do something about it. Until then, there is not much we can do.” Both our eyes widened as a rope of golden sand encased his wrist before he was yanked back and over the side of the building. A harsh thud sounded out.

I clasped my hands over my mouth to cover a yelp of surprise and rushed to the side, seeing the Guardians advancing on him as he shook his head to clear it. Once he took in his surroundings he backed into the wall, a hand held up in defense.

North was the first to advance on him, lifting Pitch by the throat and shoving one of his swords to his chest. “What have you done, Pitch?” he demanded. “Children are dying!”

“I doubt he cares, North,” Bunny said, his boomerangs trained on his target. “I knew we should have gone after him when we had the chance.”

I leapt down from the building, stumbling a bit as I landed. “Wait, North, put him down!”

They looked only slightly surprised to see me. North turned his sneer to me. “Watch yourself, Hana. You don’t want to protect monster like this one.”

“Who else would be low enough to kill to regain his power?” Bunny added.

I looked at each of them, entirely powerless. Tooth tried to put a comforting hand on my shoulder, but I brushed her off, looking to Jack. He only turned away. His gaze said there was nothing he could do.

Pitch curled his lip. “Do you honestly think I’d waste my time killing these pathetic wretches?”

“You have done so in past. Who is to say you will not again?” North answered, and I could see a trickle of blood run down Pitch’s chest from the sword.

He hadn’t flinched. “I haven’t. Something is wrong, I will agree with you for that reason only. I am not the one leaving parents childless overnight.”

I approached North and held on to the arm pushing the sword into Pitch’s skin. “Please, North. He’s telling the truth.”

The large man kept his gaze forward. “I see you and your little Spirit are doing well again.”

“It’s none of your damned business, North. Now let me go.” He flinched as North’s hold on his throat tightened.

“That’s enough, North.” I looked behind me, seeing Jack standing there. “If he is telling the truth we’re wasting time with him.”

“And if he is lying we have him where we want him,” North shot back.

“North, please listen to me,” I tried again. “I know it’s very close to your day, and you care immensely for your wards, but you have the wrong man. If you don’t believe him, believe me.”

“And why should I believe a woman just as evil as he?”

I took my hands back as if I had been slapped and Tooth reprimanded him. I had known they didn’t approve of my holiday and what I did, but I didn’t know they thought I was evil.

A scream rang out a few blocks down, making us all jump. The others ran towards it, leaving me alone with North and Pitch. The Russian growled and dropped him to the ground. “We finish this after. If I find one of your creatures, I kill you myself.”

He took off after the others and I knelt by Pitch’s side to check the wound on his chest. He only looked horribly confused as he touched the blood, looking at it as if he wanted to make sure it was real.

“We should help them,” I muttered.

He clenched his fingers into a fist and stood again. “Why? So they can finally stab me through and then come after you? I’ll have nothing to do with it.”

I didn’t rise. I only looked down the road. “Or you can clear your name once and for all.”

“There is nothing you can say to the man to make him think otherwise.”

I stood and summoned my small twin scythes. “Stay behind if you wish, but I’m helping them.” I didn’t wait to see if he was following. I ran in the direction of the others, hearing the sound of fighting ensue. I turned a corner, facing the edge of thick woods, and stopped in my tracks as my weapons almost slipped from my grasp. Before my eyes, the Guardians were fighting two creatures with goat heads and legs, but the torsos of humans. I heard running behind me and knew he had finally chosen to help. I darted forward as another of the creatures emerged from the woods, a massive hammer held over its head, heading right for Tooth.

I crossed the blades in front of me and extended my arms, effectively slicing the arm off the creature. It let out a howl I had never heard before. It was a high-pitched sound similar to a train whistle as it turned on me, its horns lowered to strike. It leapt forward with such surprising speed I barely had time to dodge out of the way. The creature immediately changed its course and its horns grazed my belly, tearing my sweater as I dodged it again. Before it could counterattack, a boomerang caught its attention long enough for me to stab it through the spine with my scythes.

Bunny came out of nowhere, delivering a killing blow to the creature’s head, making its neck snap. I leaned forward on my knees, breathing heavy. “You ripper, Hana?”

“Yeah, just need to catch my breath.” I looked up just as one of the creatures was about to ram into North from behind. Before I could shout a warning, a massive scythe swept through it, severing the beast in two. I saw Pitch give North a grin before all of our gazes fell to the remaining creature, now being frozen in place by Jack as Sandy broke the frozen thing into shards with his whips.

A chuckle off to our side made us all stand up straight, weapons at the ready. “You are impressive. I see I will have some obstacles in my way.” Whomever was talking, we couldn’t find him. Every direction we looked was clear.

“Show yourself!” North shouted out, clapping his swords together.

The chuckle rang out again. “Now now, patience old man. You’ll get what you desire.” A figure emerged from the shadows, and I immediately took in the sight of massive horns curled backward from his head. He had a hand held up in a careless manner, letting us see his curved talons of nails. As he came closer, I heard his heavy boots crunch through the snow. His mannerisms alone, the pace of his steps, were making me nervous.

“Who are you?” Bunny demanded, holding his boomerang at the ready.

The darkness still kept the fine details from us, but I could clearly see light reflecting off his teeth as he grinned. “I am known as many things. Son of the Morning. The Lightbringer.” He bowed. In an instant he was gone again, but his voice rang out in an echo, leaving us with a chilling lead. “But you may call me Lucifer.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Lucifer? _The_ Lucifer?” Jack paced in front of Tooth and I as she helped clean and heal my wound.

I hissed as she ran a salve over my stomach. “Jack, stop pacing,” I said through clenched teeth. “You’re making me nervous.”

“But it’s Lucifer. How is that even possible?” He looked in the direction of North and the others as they attempted to locate more information through the old books North kept in his library. They crowed around a massive table on the next floor of North’s workshop, deep in discussion as they pooled over the books and loose papers.

I shook my head, flinching as the sting slowly abated while Tooth bound the wound. “He was a creature created to put fear into all sinners. He would exist just as we would.” I propped myself up on the lounge, sucking in a sharp breath as the wound twitched. I hadn’t realized at the time how deep the graze had actually been.

“But what does he want?” Tooth asked, her small trio of fairies squeaking in unison.

“Probably… what a few of us want.” I cast my gaze to the others, watching Pitch cooperating for once, his face set in concentration as he talked with the others. “To be remembered.”

“Kinda hard to forget someone like Lucifer, Hana,” Jack said, still pacing. “There is no other being more feared than him.”

“Was,” I corrected, still feeling uneasy at his strides. “Think over a century ago and beyond. He was the ultimate form of sin, of bad things in the Christian ways. If you did not follow the path of God, you would be punished by Lucifer, or worse. Look around, Jack. It was only until recently that humans started to question the scriptures and, well, you know what happens when people stop believing in you.”

“But killing people to announce you’ve grown enough to strike?”

I stood with a grimace, trying to not notice the bloody hole in my sweater. I had a change on the lounge next to me that North’s wife had picked up for me once I had the chance to get to it. “It is the Devil we’re talking about.” I jumped as a loud bang sounded from the large table upstairs. I looked up to see Pitch glaring at North.

“I’d very well appreciate it if you would stop insinuating I had anything to do with this, North!”

“Who else would have hand in something like this?” North shouted back, stabbing one of his swords into the table.

“I didn’t need anyone’s help to do what I did in the past; why would someone like him?”

“We let you live, we allowed you to keep regaining your believers only because something held you in check.” He pointed a threatening finger to him. “Look what happens not a year later!”

“North!” Bunny stood between them as Pitch stood up straight. Even from where I stood I saw his spine grow ridged. Sandy frantically signed with his sand between them.

I approached the small staircase, gripping the railing tight each time I felt the wound sting. “What have you figured out?”

I watched Pitch relax minutely, turning only his eyes to the scattered pages as he sifted through them. “Not much. Only what we’ve known all along, from what was written in the scriptures.”

“That he was a fallen angel, cast out for wanting things to change,” Bunny agreed, tapping a particular page. “He’s been used as an icon to terrify anyone into living a life free of sin.”

“For longest time, he was being feared more than Pitch.” North gestured to the man in question.

He ignored it. “He would judge the souls of the dead and torment them, corrupting them into demons. To make sure he would get his souls, he would deliver temptations to the humans. Being only human, they would give in easily, giving Lucifer his quota.” He glared at North again. “However I don’t know why he is striking back now after all these years.”

“Why did you strike when you did?” Bunny asked.

I could see Pitch fighting against his anger. He was fighting something else as well. I saw him meet my eyes for only a moment before turning them away, curling his lip. “It was a calculated decision to strike when I did. I had perfected my Nightmares, my strongest weapon against your light. I saw no chance of failure when I did. There are always snags in the most well thought plans, it would seem.”

“So then he’s thought this through,” I offered, sifting through some of the discarded pages. “He thinks he has little to no disadvantage.”

“He doesn’t. But we don’t have help this time,” Bunny said. “He’s threatening more than their memories, their hopes and dreams.” He looked down at the papers. “This isn’t about wanting to be remembered. This is about being a symbol of something beyond what we are. A symbol of death, of corruption.”

I glanced out the large window, looking at the sun reflecting off the snow. “How do we stop him?”

“We don’t know. This is a very powerful being,” Bunny said as the others returned to the pages. “At least he was when he was more than just a threat that a person will burn for eternity. If he can invoke enough people into fearing his name…”

I nodded. He didn’t have to say it. We all knew the utmost consequences if Lucifer was allowed to regain his standing. They were right to fear him. When Pitch attempted to regain his old life, he did so by manipulating the Dreamsand, and they were lucky it was only that.

But, the goal had only been to leave the world in darkness, to smother it with terror so thick he would become the most powerful creature around once again, and the plan was formulated in his unstable state of mind. This man, this demon, wanted the sinners to pay with their lives. So far, he had not targeted children. He couldn’t touch them. Children are innocent until a certain age. The death of an innocent was not his call, and he would not get their soul.

“We should rest while we can,” North said, taking his sword from the table and replacing it in its scabbard. He cast his gaze to me. “You can stay below in workshop. There is quiet room near office you can use.”

“I can go home—“

“Not with gash in stomach. Ride home would only irritate and reopen it.”

I couldn’t fight the logic as the others were led to the tunnels leading into the village to rest close-by. I memorized the directions given to me and I took to the stairs while they left. I couldn’t hide a flinch as the wound was jostled. I started seeing double and gripped the railing tight.

I felt a strong hand hold on to my arm. “Easy. You should have waited.”

“I thought you would have gone home.”

“Because I would have left you here, wounded and alone, in the Pole.” Pitch scoffed at the idea and rolled his pale eyes. “He’s telling the truth though; your injury needs the day to heal.”

“I-I’m fine, Oogie. Really.”

“You’ve never been a talented liar.” He helped me the rest of the way to the spare room, taking care not to aggravate the gash. It would continue to close up as I slept, but moving around was not helping.

“Do you trust them?”

He opened the door to the spare room and led me inside. “Not at all.” I sat on the bed as he moved to close the heavy red curtain over the window. “However, this is not something we’re used to. This is a being that doesn’t care who you are, human or otherwise. So long as you are guilty of sin, he will come for your soul. In this case, we are all threatened.”

I stood for only a moment to draw back the blankets. I kicked off my boots and stared at the ground, thoughts floating around in my head as I felt the bed dip behind me and his weight pressed into my back. “I’m not… I’m not evil, am I?”

He laughed into the skin of my neck. “No, you don’t have it in you to be completely evil. Ninety percent, I’d say.”

I wasn’t sure if I should have been flattered or insulted. I was too exhausted, in too much discomfort to argue it.

“Don’t fight what is in your nature. It will do no good to you in the long run. Accept what has been dealt to you.” His voice went quiet. “Or you’ll go mad trying to remember who you are.”

I nodded and gingerly pulled the ruined sweater over my head. I’d have to remember to ask him in the morning to fetch the one still upstairs. I laid down and pulled the blankets over my frame and relished the instant warmth. A moment after he slipped in behind me after he pulled off his coat. I felt his bare skin run over what I had exposed. “If I’m not evil, what am I? A good person does not feel pleasure when terrifying others. A good person doesn’t convert someone’s dreams into nightmares.”

He was silent for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully. He ran a hand over my arm. “You are not a good person, nor are you evil. Your center prevents you from slipping too far into the darkness.”

I hadn’t even thought of my center. The ability to see beauty in everything.

“Don’t let the demons of the past eat you alive.”

“As you allow them to do to you?”

He went silent for a moment, his hand motionless. “You have different demons than I. I know how to deal with them, how to keep them at bay.”

I rolled my eyes, knowing he’d be unable to see. “Then why is it I see you staring at that locket when you believe I’m asleep?”

I felt him stiffen behind me. “Leave it alone.”

The sharp tone of his voice made me follow that order. I fell silent, listening to the crackling of the fire burning in a small pit in the far corner of the room. If he had something to protect so strongly, it wasn’t my place to pry. There were other more pressing matters at hand to worry about.

As I felt myself drifting off, he broke the silence. “My daughter.”

That immediately got my attention as my blood ran cold. I turned to look at him, wound be damned. “Your… You have a daughter?” Which meant he very well possibly had a wife.

“Had a daughter. Before…” He shook his head and sat up, staring at the fire. “The locket is all I have left.” He laughed a bit. “Material-wise, anyway.”

I sat up with him and accepted his invitation to lay against the crook of his shoulder. “Tell me about her.”

He shook his head. “You were injured; you need to sleep.”

“There is plenty of time for me to sleep yet.”

He sighed but gave me a tired smile. “You’ve spent too much time with me. You’re becoming stubborn as ever.” Despite his words, he ended up caving, telling me stories well into the morning. Stories I dare not repeat. Some memories are to be kept precious.

When he was like this, I could almost forget the horrible deeds he had done, that he was a creature to be feared. I could let myself see the rare times he wasn’t surrounded in an aura of darkness. I alone could see him come undone and be there to help him find himself. And he was the only one capable of doing the same for me. I don’t know how it worked, but it did. I was glad we had made amends. I don’t think I could have faced what was out there if we were still not speaking.

I’m not sure when we slipped into sleep. One minute I was listening to his stories, and the next we were being startled awake by a heavy knock on the door.

It was time to work.


	10. Chapter 10

I took the bindings off, examining my flesh. The wound had closed, leaving a nasty pale scar in its wake. I shifted off the bed and stood in front of the full-length mirror, flinching at the sight, even though it would fade as the night progressed. I closed my eyes and ran a hand over the raised flesh.

A soft weight appeared behind me and a hand took mine, the fingers slipping between my own to touch the scar tissue. “It could have been much worse.”

It could have been, yes. That fact alone made me feel sick. I shivered as he traced the scar. Despite the times, I let out a soft chuckle and chanced a glance at him. “What would you say if I told you we should defile North’s bed?”

I made him laugh at least. “At any other time I’d pin you down and make you scream for me.” He made me turn to look at him, keeping his hands at my hips. “However, this is still his home, and we were called for duty. He’d have all the rights to walk in and interrupt. I’d really hate to have to kill him.”

“Mm, that would be a shame.” I ran my hands up his chest and put them around his neck. “What about after this?”

“After this?” He gave a growl of a laugh and leaned to my ear, his voice dripping lust. “After this I plan to make you mine on any surface of my choosing, hard and precise, until you beg me to stop.”

I could play his game. I bit his ear gently and ran my tongue over the soft flesh before pulling back slightly. “Who says I’ll beg for that, my master?” I could feel him tense up and I took the opportunity to step away. He handed me the new sweater that I tossed over my head. “Also, thank you for last night.”

I saw his gaze drop away. “Do know that if you repeat any of it—“

“Why would I?” I wasn’t allowed to say anything more as the door opened, showing Jack on the other side. “They’re ready?”

He nodded with a grin. “I hope you don’t mind sleigh rides.” 

* * *

 

I thought I wouldn’t mind a little trip in Santa’s sleigh.

I was horribly, horribly wrong.

North was more than a madman with swords and a passion for cookies. He was a madman with a team of edgy reindeer and a deathtrap sled. I joined Bunny in a corner, fighting to keep the bile in my stomach where it belonged.

All the while North laughed at our misfortune and spurred the creatures on. I couldn’t understand how Jack and Sandy seemed to love the wild trip. The whole time, Tooth was telling us of what her fairies had gathered as they worked. During the course of the day, a body close to where we fought the satyr creatures was discovered. The total death count was now at seventeen, all young adults. Each of them ruled as either a suicide, or homicide/suicide combination.

“Most important is how he is doing it,” she continued as North steadied out the sleigh, making it a little easier on my stomach. “The girl from last night was found to have a large amount of drugs in her blood. My fairies did more digging and found she did have a problem with it.”

She went through the list. A young gambler died from asphyxiation caused by a pair of dice. A girl with a promiscuous life we found cut up, mutilated to spoil her apparent beauty, the knife still clutched in her hand. A man of twenty-three with a history of anger issues shot his wife and then himself. A girl who fussed over her appearance drowned in her tub face down. An overweight boy had his stomach full of burger remains and bleach.

“He’s making the sinners commit the ultimate sin,” Pitch muttered, putting it together. “It is said if you commit suicide, your soul is not judged. It is sent straight to Lucifer.”

“It’s a brilliant plan,” I said with a grimace, holding on to the edge of the sleigh as I held myself up, still a little dizzy. “What was their religion by the way?”

“Mainly Christian or Catholic,” Tooth answered.

“Fantastic. That explains the lights.”

Bunny frowned through his own motion sickness. “The Fear Globe?”

I nodded. “I’ve been watching it for almost two weeks now. The lights are showing brighter in the Bible Belt. With how these people are dying, it would of course send these people in a religious frenzy, especially the ones closest to the victims. If he can make it believable that sinners are being damned by Lucifer in a coming apocalypse, he can regain his power. Not as much as a hundred years ago, but he can start convincing them something is happening.”

“People watch a lot of apocalyptic themed things now. It seems to be a popular topic. To make it seem real in a time of paranoia—“

“It means he picked a very good time to strike,” North said from his reins, and Sandy nodded in agreement.

Something like this shouldn’t have been our job. We were around for the emotions of humans, not for their life choices. That was a totally different lore sector. However, if anyone else were to do anything about it, they would have by now.

I had died in 1552 due to heresy. I knew about Christianity, and I knew what fears were shoved down the throats of others. I knew the horror stories told to make us believe, to make us fear the Devil. Back then, if you questioned the good book, you were flogged.

Or hung as a witch, in my case.

My hand went to my collar, over the divots in my skin that would never go away. Only one person seemed to notice, and he discreetly nudged my side with his black-clothed leg.

Back then, we were taught only to read the Bible if you were a woman. That was all you needed to know how to read. Even though I disregarded that and read my father’s books, I knew that from the scriptures, Lucifer was a powerful being, cast out by God. And, as I had said in the past, good needs evil to survive. “How do we stop him?”

Bunny shook his head as he finally sat up straight. “We’re not sure. But we have to slow him down.”

I nodded. The balance could not handle a threat like this. Something needed to be done before more died. Before anything else happened during a time that was supposed to be left to miracles.

It was one thing we needed dearly.


	11. Chapter 11

The fear was mounting more rapidly in a small town in Virginia than anywhere else. We decided to split up and try to see what we could find. We were to meet up again after an hour.

I had done my round, not finding anything worthwhile. With about fifteen minutes left in the search, I wandered past a church, frowning as I saw humans file inside. I felt fear radiating off of them. I couldn’t blame them.

I stood by the church’s Nativity Scene, lit up by a lawn spotlight. They at least had somewhere to flee to seek answers, whether they would get them or not. They had somewhere to hide when things became dark.

I knelt in the snow before the scene, gazing at the child this whole thing was for, in their sense of the holiday. I found it a little humorous that so many holidays were celebrated in that human’s name, yet the other side of the coin was associated with my day. With everything I stood for.

I frowned at the child. Did that make me evil? Did that make me just as bad as the one we were hunting?

“It’s amazing, the power of a story,” a male voice said carelessly behind me.

I shot to my feet, scythes in hand. With the help of the moonlight’s reflection in the snow I could finally see his basic features. His long red coat fell over heavy boots that could easily do damage on their own. His teeth glowed in the light, framed by a nasty smile.

I gripped my scythes to steady myself. “You don’t need to do this, Lucifer.”

He tilted his head, orange eyes held on me. “I know I don’t.”

“Then why?” I held my breath, hoping he wouldn’t attack. My sole intention was to glean information. Attacking or defending would be suicide.

He folded his taloned hands behind his back. “As you know, humans tell stories of things their simple minds can’t comprehend. It’s much easier to believe in fairy tales than truth. With how I lived my life, it was only a matter of time before they would tell stories of me.” He shrugged. “I come in many forms, in many scriptures, in many religions, but my favorite manifestation has been as Lucifer. It is the only way I haven’t died off completely.”

I looked at him in curiosity, lowering my weapons slightly, showing I would not attack.

He sighed and shifted slightly. “I only did my job for a very long time. My most recent manifestation started becoming the norm in the 300s under a Roman emperor named Constantine. Once that movement became legal to practice, all other religions started dying off. So, I hopped on whatever train I could to stay alive.” His smirk remained. “I’m sure you understand how our world works. You of all people, who enjoys infesting minds with terror so strong, just so you can survive.”

My nerves gave a sharp jolt. “I’m not like you.”

“No? I would believe you and your boyfriend were more my kin than any considering your… talents.”

I pointed one of my scythes at him as he took a step forward. “We don’t kill to be remembered!” I used the other scythe to point towards the church. “Why do these people need to die?”

“Need to?” A laugh escaped him. “My dear, they want to die. Each of those people wanted it. They were all depressed, looking for a way out. I only nudged them over that line of doubt.”

“The blood will forever remain on your hands.”

He held up his hand in a thoughtless manner. His tongue escaped his lips and ran over his fingers. “And it’s quite exquisite.”

My anger snapped and I leapt forward, ready to strike him down. He summoned a spear and held off my attacks, metal screeching against metal. “Why are you doing this?”

He caught both my scythes and twisted his spear, sending my weapons flying. He spun the spear and thrust the end into my stomach, throwing me painfully back into the snow. “I really need a reason to want my power back?” He caught me by surprise as he phase-shifted directly over me, putting a boot to my chest. “This is 2012, dear, not 1812. I am being written off as just a story, what with the widespread access to the internet for more and more people to talk. With the introduction of curiosity and acceptance.”

A shuffle in the snow off to my side made me snap my head in its direction, but I saw nothing. My heart began to race under the heavy boot.

“People were flogged for questioning my existence, for questioning their town leaders.” He pressed down a little harder and grinned as snow gave way beneath me. “Some were even hanged for their disobedience. Someone let spread a nasty little rumor, sending even more panic through the streets of the world. Why don’t you tell me about your trial, Witch?”

My heart stopped, frozen in shock. Vile whispers I had locked away rang in my ears. “Don’t—“

“You’d know all about defiance, wouldn’t you Serah?” He chuckled and leaned closer, putting more weight on my chest, making it painful to breathe. A sharp cry left my throat as I fought the memories he resurfaced.

“You have such guilt in your soul,” he continued. “I can almost taste it.” He hummed in amusement. “It’s the sweetest of all human emotions. Guilt, sorrow, and my favorite, desperation.”

A twig snapped to my right and I came face-to-face with the largest snake I had ever seen. A shriek caught in my throat as I didn’t have the chest capacity to scream. I hated the pitiful whimpers that escaped me as I fought against his hold in vain, trying to shift away from the green snake.

Lucifer only laughed at my attempts. “Anacondas on their own are harmless, bite-wise.  The punctures only hurt for a moment. Until, of course, they use their bodies to crush yours.” He gestured to the bobbing creature, standing quite tall on its own. “These beauties can get over twenty-two feet long. Isn’t that incredible?” He gestured to it and it came closer, making my hands claw uselessly at his coat. “For my use, I gave their bite something extra, and allowed them a certain food source.”

He didn’t bother to explain what. The snake sank its fangs into my arm and I did whatever sound I could in pain, desperation, and panic. Sharp needle-point teeth, dozens of them, slipped into my flesh, and I felt something seep into my veins, running rampant. My vision went hazy and dark. The voices of memory started to become clearer, slowly becoming the only thing I could hear.

I was able to ear Lucifer laugh as the snake took its teeth from my arm. “It will come on slowly for the first hour, yes, but after eight…” He chuckled and I felt his weight leave my chest, air filling my lungs with painful need. “Your soul is mine. The guilt, the sorrow, it will leave you with nightmares so horrifying you will commit the ultimate sin, and you will give yourself freely to me.”

My heart pounded against my chest and my breath came out in short bursts. I looked through my haze, seeing he and the snake had vanished. I was alone in the snow, the Nativity Scene the only thing to be my witness in the fight.

The cold bit into my skin, calming down my heart, reminding me I was still alive. I rolled over on to my side and threw up bile, the only thing I could release. My body shook uncontrollably and I broke down. My darkest fears repeated themselves in my mind. I was alone. I would always be alone.

I could hear nothing but falling snow, wind blowing through the naked trees, and my heavy breaking for the longest time. Then it started getting fainter, and fainter, overtaken by the phantoms. I thought I heard someone calling over the noise, but I couldn’t focus anymore. Darkness, memories started taking over.

_You are all alone. There is no one that will care for an evil witch._

_“Don’t listen to it, Hana.”_

_Your guilt is all real. You did this to yourself._

_“Don’t listen, Hana. Listen to my voice. You are not alone.”_

_Paul was right to turn you in, you whore, you heretic. What would you have turned into?_

I had fully withdrawn into my mind. The physical world did not exist. I tumbled through the growing darkness, unable to tell up from down. A small glimmer of light caught my eye and I stumbled towards it. The light became a door. I threw it open, escaping into a small hole. I pulled the door closed and locked a rusty latch. The darkness beat against the wood, making me jump and cry out at each harsh thud and nasty word.

_“Fight it, Hana. They are only nightmares. They’re only in the past.”_

I fell to the ground at a harsh thud and shuffled back into a far corner, tears streaming down my cheeks. I pulled my legs to my chest and wrapped my arms tightly around them, keeping myself as small as I could.

_“They are only memories. You will never be alone again.”_

The thuds and cries outside only grew louder. The wood began to creak.

I clasped my hands over my head, trying to block out the sound. “Make it stop! Please, make it all stop!”


	12. Chapter 12

“I’ve never seen him like this,” Tooth muttered as they each looked through a pile of old books and loose pages, trying to find what was wrong with Hana. They had all waited at the meeting point by the sleigh for five minutes before Pitch muttered about going to find her, since it wasn’t like her to be late for anything. They were not expecting him to return with her unconscious, and they for sure were not expecting him to look so concerned.

Tooth chanced a glance to the lounge down the way, where she had patched up the woman just the day before. Hana laid out, in obvious pain, with her head resting on the edge. Pitch held his hands to the sides of her head, his own bowed in concentration. He had told them her nightmares were out of control, meaning he was the only one who could keep her steady. She watched Sandy approach him cautiously, signing with his sand, _“You need a break. Let me take over.”_

Pitch’s angry tone carried up the small staircase. “These are not what you deal with on a nightly basis. Look through the papers to find what’s causing this. You’ll be more useful then.”

Jack looked up from his work, but Tooth only shook her head. “Don’t get involved, Jack. You’re the last person he’d accept help from right now.”

He turned his gaze back to the papers with a nod. “Sandy only wants to help,” he responded just as quiet. “We all do.”

“He’s right though. She isn’t suffering from something Sandy could keep at bay.” She looked over at them again, seeing Sandy sign _“Don’t let this cloud your judgment”_ before returning to the table. “These are worse than bad dreams.” She skimmed over an article, finding nothing once more. “These are memories of such magnitude only he can keep them steady. He’s the only one with the proper skill set to do so.”

Sandy nodded and resumed his pile of texts.

Seven hours passed and they still found nothing. Her condition only worsened despite Pitch’s efforts to keep the memories at bay. He was able to see and hear a few things to help them from her memory, narrowing it down to a snake bite, and that time was running out.

He stayed in place the whole time, his fingers never leaving her temples, attempting to keep her calm. Despite his efforts, when hour seven hit, the fear only intensified to a level even he had trouble suppressing. Even so, he continued to try to communicate with her, to at least let her know he was there.

Her memories were becoming etched into his own. He had known of her previous life only so much. He had refused to read into her mind the four centuries he had known her. He felt he owed her that much privacy. These were things he did not want to ever invade upon for reasons he kept to himself. They had been splotchy for hours, jumping all over the place as he had kept them at bay from overtaking her senses. However, with how much time had passed, he was slowly losing the battle.

He ignored the calm voice of Toothiana telling him to rest, keeping his focus on holding the terrors back. He clenched his teeth as they slipped through his restraint, allowing him to see what she truly feared for the first time since they had met.

_“Come on Paul, who will know if we don’t go just this once?”_

_“It’s church, Serah. We have to go.”_

_She rolled her eyes and dragged him behind the barn, away from the flow of townsfolk that filed into the church. “We go every week and listen to that preacher go on and on. Why don’t we just… take a break?” She trailed her fingers up his chest as she backed him up against the barn._

_“We have to go, Serah. How else we gonna get to heaven?”_

_She gave a heavy sigh at the man a good head taller than her. “We say grace every night, we learn about Him in school, and from our families. It’s all that’s ever talked about. Why can’t we have a break on Sunday? Didn’t He have Sunday off, according to that book?”_

_He narrowed his eyes. “You know He did. And it isn’t some book, Serah. It’s true. He is there, and he needs us in church.”_

_She gave him a mischievous grin. “Really Paul, you don’t honestly believe all of it?”_

_He pushed her off, leaving her startled at his glare. “I do. And you’re not who I thought you were. You’re a sinner. A heretic. Stay away from me and go to Hell where you belong.” He stalked off, leaving her in a daze._

_She glared at his retreating back. “Fine! Be a sheep just like everyone else!”_

_At dinner that night, the silence became suffocating. She and her parents sat around a table, eating a meager meal of cabbage soup, showing the harvest had not done well that year._

_Her father broke the tense silence. “You weren’t in church today.”_

_“I didn’t feel like going,” she responded just as tersely._

_“You’ll be going to Hell then, I take it?”_

_She calmly set her spoon down. “Father, I can’t very well go to a place I don’t think exists.”_

_Her father pounded a fist into the table. “I will not have that talk in my house! Not in front of Him!” He pointed to a crucifix by the door. “No daughter of mine will be a heretic!”_

_Without a word she stood from the table and took her shawl from beside the door._

_“And where do you think you’re going?”_

_She pointed to the crucifix. “Ask Him. I thought He knew everything.” She slammed the door behind her and took off, not caring where she went, who she ran into in the small village. She ended up in the tavern, and with the help of an interested bartender, proceeded to drink until she was numb. In doing so, she accepted the advances of the bartender, and he took her in the back. She was twenty, still unmarried, still untouched. Paul had been her last chance, and he had already voiced his opinions on her._

_She was found the next day in her home by the town governor, and taken to stand trial. Paul had turned her in for trying to coerce him down the path of sin. He had turned her in for being a witch. The bartender also came forward, saying she had cast an enchantment on him to make him do what he did. No one listened to her. She was labeled a witch and sentenced to death._

_She sat alone in her straw-strewn cell, not allowed any article of clothing. Heretics and witches didn’t need such things. She waited while they put together the gallows, listening to the hammers work against the wood. She cried to deaf ears, cried until she was hoarse, and then cried more, sobbing for her innocence. She wasn’t a witch, she wasn’t a sinner. She was only different. What was wrong with being different? What was wrong with asking questions?_

_As she was led to the gallows, still denied clothes to cover her indecency, her eyes were sunken, her throat dry and cracked. It was made worse as the townsfolk decided to throw rotten food at her, just as they would a common criminal. The words “sinner”, “witch”, “harlot”, “heretic”, “whore”, and “deceiver”, and much worse, were thrown around, making her hide behind her then-long curtain of brown hair._

_They fitted the noose around her neck as she got to the gallows, and her heart hammered against her chest. She didn’t want to die. It wasn’t her time. She didn’t deserve to die. She saw her parents in the crowd, the same look of animosity on their faces as all the others. “I’ll be a good girl, I swear,” she tried begging, drowned out by the crowd and her hoarse voice. “I’ll be good. I’ll go to church. I’ll believe in God. Mommy, Daddy, please—“_

_The shock of the floor vanishing beneath her feet and the sudden stop shattered her, and if it weren’t for her hands being bound, she would have clawed against the noose tightening against her throat from her weight. There was nothing she could do but count the seconds as breathing became harder with the rope biting into her flesh, ripping layers away with each involuntary struggle her body gave._

_When it all began to fade away, when she finally stopped struggling, she heard them all cheer._

_The last thing she had heard as a human was her parents cheering for the death of a witch._

“I’ve got it!”

Pitch looked up, keeping his magic active. “What is it, Bunny?”

The pookah leapt down with the book, a grim look on his face. “It’s something called a Mark of Trial. It’s inflicted by Lucifer’s Abyssal Anacondas, which is why there was no blood on her bite wounds. It cauterizes instantly with Hellfire.”

“This clarifies nothing.”

“I’m getting to it.” The others joined around him, listening to the explanation while tears escaped Hana’s closed eyes. “It’s-it’s a trial, mate. The effects of the bite worsen over eight hours. If she gives in to her guilt, gives in to the terror, she dies in relevance to her sins. It forces the victim to succumb to their depression.”

Tooth flitted in front of him. “So the others?”

“Were bitten and they gave in. They each died in ways that reflected their inner turmoil and what fueled their depression.”

“They all make sense,” Jack said, tossing his staff back and forth, “but what about her? She isn’t depressed.” He met Pitch’s eyes. “That we know of.”

“Not that she ever told me, but… it has been a hundred years,” he answered. “A hundred years in solitude would make anyone succumb to their minds.” His heart bled as her mind felt like it was tearing itself apart. “It’s nearing the end. Sandy, keep her under. If she wakes, I can’t help her.”

Sandy nodded and doused her with another batch of Dreamsand while Pitch concentrated again, his own consciousness entering her dreams. The darkness was so thick he could barely keep it back now. Her mind was attempting to suffocate her.

_“You’re not allowed to die.”_

He finally heard her answer. _“All of this will stop. I’m begging you, let me die.”_

 _“Never.”_ He sifted through more of the darkness, feeling it begin to recede _“Do you remember what happened after all of this? When I found you in the woods? You were naked and terrified, and I helped you. Do you remember that?”_

The darkness hissed against his words, but he felt them weaken. _“I-I think so. You gave me your coat. Asked my name.”_ The darkness hissed again. _“You gave me shelter.”_

He let out a laugh. _“Yes, keep going. What else?”_

_“The Guardians shunned me. Told me I didn’t use my powers correctly.”_

_“But you did. You did just what you were created to do.”_ Something in his memory clicked from months ago. _“Hana, what is your center?”_

_“I-I don’t know. Please, let me go.”_

He growled, not knowing he also did so on the physical plane. _“Stop saying such idiotic things. This is what Lucifer wants. Listen to me, Hana. What is your center?”_

_“I don’t… I don’t know.”_

_“Think, Hana. What is it you said you could see in me? Something that I didn’t know I could possess.”_ When she remained silent, his voice grew quieter. _“What did you see in me, Serah?”_

The darkness gave a much weaker hiss this time, and he could see through them as they began to vanish. _“I saw… I saw beauty in your work. In the way you crafted your talents.”_ The shadows began to recede, and the sounds haunting her memories started to fade. _“You put such care into your creatures, gave them all a purpose. It didn’t matter that they were creatures of nightmares. They were still beautiful.”_ He finally saw her in the darkness, still sitting with her legs pressed to her chest. However, she was finally looking at him. She gave a soft smile. _“You were beautiful as you worked.”_

The shadows vanished completely and he pulled away from her mind as her body stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She gave a breath of a laugh and reached up to touch his face. “Stubborn old man.”

“It paid off. Can’t have you dying on me. Wandering the shadows is frightfully dull alone.”

The others each let out a sigh of relief and rushed the woman, all making sure she was all right. Pitch stood off to the side, mentally and physically exhausted. He jumped as someone clapped him on the shoulder. “You care much for her,” North said with a smile.

“She keeps life from getting dull.” He looked at North. “I will cut that grin off if you don’t stop.”

“If you did not care, you would have let her die.”

“And I didn’t, so there’s your answer.” He narrowed his eyes. “Why does it matter? You all know I kept her in the lair for centuries. It shouldn’t matter why I let her live.”

“It does.” He put his hands to his shoulders, turning the darker man towards the others. Hana cast a glance his way and smiled before her attention was taken again. “It shows you have heart still.” He nodded behind him to the elevator. “Walk with me.”

Pitch found no reason to argue and followed the Russian, both not saying a word as the elevator took them down to where the yeits were still frantically putting the final touches on the Christmas presents and shoving them in the sleigh. He took them both in his office, allowing Pitch to see just what North did in his spare time. As the door closed behind him, the sound of yetis growling at each other faded to a muffle, as did the testing of the toys. “Something on your mind, North?”

The larger man only chuckled. “You are tricky one, Kozmotis.”

He hid his surprise well. “I see you’ve been talking to him.”

North nodded. “He shared our concern after Easter, but told us to leave you be. That you are not threat anymore. You have… priorities now.”

He laughed. “Not a threat? Does he not realize what I am capable of with a sound mind? Does he not remember why he is where he is?”

“He remembers. He also says you will not do so again. Not as long as she lives.”

His amusement faded quickly. “What would she have to do with this?”

North’s knowing smile returned as he sat at his desk, flicking an elf away from his plate of cookies. “You know what she has to do with it. If it is pride keeping you from saying what you have, it does not matter. What matters is you care. You have heart. You still have some good in you.” His eyes stared at him, holding his gaze. “There is still part of you that is Kozmotis Pitchiner.”

“That man has been dead for far longer than you’ve been alive, North. In either life.”

“He still lives.” He inspected one of his cookies before eating it. “And knowing you have sliver of heart tells me I can trust you.”

He curled his lip. “How does that make you trust me?”

“You did not let her kill herself. You fought for her. She fights for us.”

“You left her on her own with the King of Nightmares when she was turned over four hundred years ago. What does that say about you?”

North went silent for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “Do realize that we had extended an offer to you at one point.”

“An offer that was not going to work.”

“We at least tried. Knowing you had found her first, we knew you would corrupt her.”

“She follows her own path. Her choices and actions are hers, not mine.”

“But they follow yours, not ours.” He shook his head. “She was not what we represented. Just as Jack was not what we represented. Jack only did what he wanted. He did not care if it hurt or helped children.” He pushed the rest of the cookies aside, which the elf happily took away. “He changed to help children. Hana has not and will not. Just like you. However, she still fights for us. It shows we can trust her.”

“So why trust me? I’ve done you no favors.” He motioned to the office. “I could drown this whole place in shadows if I truly wanted to.”

“But you have not.” North stood again. “You have had power for nine months now. You have had your sanity in check. In that time you could have drowned us all in darkness. But you have not. Something has stopped you. Or taken us off your radar.” He jabbed Pitch in the chest. “What was it?”

For once, the King of Nightmares had no response. He simply kept his pale gaze trained on North.

“This is why we can trust you. For now.”

Pitch turned and opened the door. “Stay out of my way and we’ll all see this through.” He stopped in the doorway, looking at the globe. “We’re running out of time. It’s Christmas Eve.”

North nodded behind him. “It is our last chance. This is best night for him to strike. When everyone go to evening mass.” He placed a hand on Pitch’s shoulder. “Go to her. Make sure she is fine. She needs to see you more than any of us.”

Pitch shrugged him off but left for the elevator, leaving North smiling in the doorway of his office. “Even the darkest beasts have hearts.” As if struck with an idea, he barricaded himself in his office for the time being, working out the crazy idea that had burrowed in his mind.


	13. Chapter 13

I wouldn’t wish that ordeal on anyone. No matter who I’ve hated in the past, no one deserved that. What was sobering was that I learned it wasn’t even the worst I could have had. I learned that Pitch had kept the worse of it at bay with his skill set. It was no wonder the humans gave in to their fears so easily. Even if they could survive up until the end, the dark thoughts would swallow them whole at the end. It was no wonder Lucifer had said they surrendered their souls willingly. I had been willing, and I had been helped for the whole eight hours.

The others filled me in on what they had found out while I was under. Lucifer’s snake had woven something called a Mark of Trial into my blood, something that would let even the strongest person succumb to their depression, no matter how minute. Lucifer’s victims all had that in common. They had seen no other way out in their lives, and were thinking of committing suicide regardless. The teens and young adults just hadn’t yet due to their religious standing, as well as their families. Due to their backgrounds they were chosen above all others. Regardless of how terrible it was, it was still the cleverest option out there.

“What did you all find while we were in town?” I muttered, feeling tugs of exhaustion screaming at me to sleep properly.

“Just more deaths and dead ends,” Bunny said, shaking his head. He gestured to me. “More importantly, what happened to you?”

I didn’t want to talk about it. If I had the choice I would have stayed in the Pole, or in my tower, or underground in Venice to avoid seeing Lucifer again. However, I didn’t have that luxury. I couldn’t run and hide. I noticed I was rubbing my arms and forced them to my sides, curling my lip at my obnoxious habit. “He found me towards the end of my patrol. I was watching humans file into a church, feeling their fear. He commented on their stories, that he was a being mentioned throughout religious scriptures in multiple forms. The one he has now is the only one he really has left. Due to the rise in popularity of the religion, and how firm people took to it, his power flew higher than it ever had been before.

“However, in recent years, it’s been dying off. Sure he has many that still believe he is real and that he will damn your soul for eternity if you give in to his temptations, but if you compare now to how it was when he was most powerful, it isn’t the same. Most people these days don’t believe anymore, with the introduction of religious freedom and logical thought.” I swallowed and continued on, just now taking notice to two missing members of the hodgepodge of a group. “Even the most religious state in America is only a little over half religious. But, if you put fear in someone, you can make them believe.”

“But why now?” Jack asked.

“It’s the perfect time of the year to do this,” Tooth answered, now catching on. “Christmas is hope and wonder, the celebration of the birth of their savior.” She looked to the others. “What better time to strike than now?”

It was then I realized what day it was. “It’s Christmas Eve, isn’t it?”

Tooth nodded. “Five in the morning on the eastern seaboard. There isn’t much more we can do for another twelve hours.”

I looked out to the globe, seeing the lights flicker gently. “How many families will be incomplete for tomorrow morning?”

“If we’re lucky, only a handful.”

Sandy nodded and signed a few things, but I didn’t understand what he meant.

Bunny chuckled. “He said we’ll stop him from ruining any more families.” He pointed a paw to me. “Before anything else happens, we need to know the rest of what happened. What made that mark on your arm?”

I could feel my stomach drop. “A snake. He has a massive snake that bites its victims. I suppose if a person doesn’t really believe in him, they wouldn’t see the snake. However the venom he introduced to the normally harmless bite… I’ve—“ I swallowed hard. “I don’t wish that on anyone.” I pushed through. “It replays your greatest sins, regrets, and darkest memories over and over in your mind, attempting to consume your sanity.” I shook my head and felt the sudden urge to stand and start moving I did so and didn’t stop my hands rubbing my arms. “I’ve done terrifying things as the keeper of Halloween, but nothing like this. I’ve only shown people their greatest nightmares, made them petrified for a few minutes to get the essence I need to survive.” I stopped moving my hands, my nails biting into my arms hard enough to make divots through the sweater. “I never want anyone to die. I’m nothing like him.”

“No one is saying you are,” Tooth said quietly and I felt her hand on my shoulder. “Did he say something to you about it?”

I bit my lip. “Is it… wrong that I live to spread fear in people?”

She wanted to say something but fell silent. Jack took her place, standing in front of me. “It isn’t wrong.” He spread his arm out to the globe. “We have enough people working on happiness, to keep kids young as long as they can. However, they can’t grow without knowing a little bit of fear. Of mortality.” He chuckled. “If it helps any, I always loved your work on All Hallows.”

I had forgotten I was turned before he was. “Weren’t you a mischief-maker as a human?” I asked with a grin.

He gave a sheepish one in return. “Of course. You always had the right balance of fear and fun. Sure some moments were scarier than others, and made my sister run for cover, but the night always ended with laughter and stories.”

I could tell he was enjoying having his memories back. I looked to the others. Their opinion mattered the most.

Bunny only sighed, shrugged, and smiled. “The anklebiters need some fear in them to understand they are still mortal. They are not invincible. No child grows up without something that scares them.” He put his paw in the air in dismissal. “Besides, you’re only out on Halloween and a few other times during the year having fun with them. Not like… not like others.”

I knew who he meant. Even after everything he had done the past nine months, they still wouldn’t fully trust him. I don’t think they trusted me despite their words. I couldn’t blame them for not wanting to trust their lives in the hands of the King of Nightmares.

Tooth’s hand squeezed my shoulder. “We’ll continue viewing the books. Why don’t you stretch your legs, rest for a bit? You’ve given us a lot of information to work off of.”

I nodded and pulled away. “I’ll do that.”

“Just stay out of the way of the yetis!” Jack called after me.

I only nodded and continued on to the elevator, taking me down to the room I had stayed in before. I could have left, yes, but I didn’t think North would appreciated a full-grown stallion in his lair. I closed the door to the room behind me and looked out the frost-covered window, through a small frame of clarity. All that met my vision was bright white, and I had to shield my eyes at a reflection off the snow. With a sigh I drew the curtains and held on to them, leaning my head to the soft fabric.

“I saw you come in here.”

I jumped and heard a slight protest from the threading in the curtain, making me toss it out of my grip as I turned around. I put a hand to my heart. “Don’t do that, Oogie. You could at least open the damned door.” Despite my words I couldn’t help the smile that broke past my restraint as I leapt into him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “You’ve saved my life again, Oogie. I need to start catching up.”

I wasn’t expecting his response. He returned the embrace with such strength it was almost possessive. Before I knew it, we were kneeling on the floor, and I realized how exhausted he would be after keeping diligent for eight hours. I would have stopped him if it wasn’t for what he said. “I almost lost you. I wasn’t about to let you die. I was… nervous that I couldn’t hold it back forever.”

It was more than nerves that he felt. His voice said everything. It was a somber tone. I held on to his neck tighter, knowing forming such words together would be hard for him.

“I’ve already lost everything dear to me. I can’t lose you as well.” He let out a soft laugh against my ear from the way we sat. “I suppose I’m no knight in shining armor, but I hope you’ll understand that.”

I laughed too and pulled back a bit, just to catch his tired eyes. “You know I don’t like flashy things anyway. I prefer the tall, dark, and handsome route. The seductive tones.” I reached up to rest my fingertips to his cheek. “Really, Pitch. I owe you so much already. Thank you.” I looked down to his chest as he didn’t move. “I heard you the whole time. I knew there was someone there holding the shadows back for me. I knew it was you. I just… I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t respond.”

“I saw it all, Hana. I had to.”

I nodded. I knew he would have. If he hadn’t dug into my mind when I was first turned, he would have certainly found everything out eventually. He always knew what I feared. He never knew why. He never had to know, and so never looked.

I can’t recall how it happened, but our lips pressed together, shifting in an almost frantic nature. I pushed against his skin harder, pulling his bottom lip between my teeth in a gentle nip.

He grinned, making it slip from my grasp. Without a word he pulled my sweater from my body, moving on to the bra below it, resuming our kiss. Once he removed that, I slipped his coat from his shoulders, running my nails up his bare arms, making him shiver. He shifted how he was sitting and pulled me to his lap, still refusing to leave my lips. I sighed into his skin as he trailed his fingers down my chest, running over my breasts.

“I couldn’t let a creature of your beauty slip through my grasp for a final time,” he muttered against my lips. He trailed his over my jawline. “You are not the only one to feel alone.” He traveled down my throat as I leaned up over his legs, feeling his arms wrap possessively around my hips.

I held back tears as a soft moan escaped my lips, feeling his breath against my breasts before he pressed his lips against the swell of one. “Even the Nightmare King has fears?”

“A king is nothing without his kingdom.” He stared at my skin for a moment before looking at me. “A king is also nothing without his queen.”

He caught me off guard long enough to trail his tongue over the slope of my chest, lavishing the skin as he went. I shook my head and pushed at his shoulders, making him look at me. “Pitch?”

“I only mean…” He cast his gaze away again. “Stay this time. As my equal. As my queen.”

I also cast my gaze away. “How do I know it will stay like this? We started out fine the first time and then…” I shook my head. “How can I know you won’t become that man again?”

“You can’t.” He took my face in his hands gently and made me look at him. “I can only ask you to trust me.”

After a moment I nodded and he resumed our kiss again, his fingers trailing down to meet the button of my shorts. I did the same to his pants. He ran his lips down my flesh as he pulled my shorts and panties down with him, exposing the rest of my ashen skin to him. He had me shift out of them and resume my kneeling position. He shifted back and rolled to lay on his back between my legs. Before I could ask what he was doing he latched on to my lower lips, making me choke on whatever I had wanted to ask. I leaned against his barely clothed hips, moaning against his skilled tongue and fingers. I bit my lip as I saw a hint of his hard flesh still hidden by his pants. Without a second thought I leaned forward and ran my fingers around his tip, feeling him hiss against my slick flesh below.

With a grin I pushed his pants down his hips as he raised them for me, shifting them down just enough to let his cock stand on its own. All the while he hadn’t stopped, making me moan and arch my back against his ministrations. I wanted him to feel just as good. I bent down and took his hard shaft in my mouth. I felt him moan into my skin, never stopping his pace. Instead he braced his legs on the floor, rocking with me. I let out a whimper as he hit a sweet spot, moaning against his cock, hearing him take in a sharp breath. My nails bit into the rug we laid on as I arched my back, unable to keep my focus on him. Whatever he was doing with his tongue felt too good. I cried out as a tingle rushed down my legs and back up through my body.

He pulled back for only a moment and I almost whined for him to continue. I felt his hands run up my legs to grip my hips tight, holding me in place as he resumed. I felt his lips encase me as his tongue flicked rapidly against my clit. Silvery heat coiled around my body, winding me up so tight I could barely breathe. Each breath came out a panting whimper, a plea to not stop. He had no such plans. I felt his tongue delve deep between my folds, felt him moan into the skin. His fingers dug deep into my hips.

I held on to his legs, holding myself up, not able to find a way to rest comfortably. I tilted my head back as I was wound so tight I couldn’t move. My muscles had all locked up. My body began to crack. My cries told him so, and he flicked his tongue at such a rapid pace. All at once, the fire he create erupted all over. I keened into the air, my hands gripping his legs to keep me balanced. Even so he kept going, dragging it out. I almost had to gasp for air as I remembered how to breathe. “O-okay, mnm, I can’t—“ I panted.

He slowed down, kissing me a bit more before he nudged my leg. Without a word he leaned me back on the rug, claiming my lips with his again. A shock went through me as his cock pressed against my core, hitting my still sensitive clit. I instinctively shifted my hips, seeking him out. He laughed against my skin and moved so he could slide all the way in, both of us sighing as he filled me up. He leaned back just a bit, his hand to my cheek. “Now, what does my queen want of me?”

I bit my lip again. I wanted him to give me everything he had, and more. I wanted him to take his time, to show me he really was the man I fell in love with centuries ago. “I want my king to love me.”

He started a steady pace, his forearms by my head, hands wrapped in my hair. I gasped against his lips at the slow, sharp thrusts. I’d for sure regret staying on to the rug later, but the sting wasn’t an issue. Our moans and sighs began to escalate, echoing off the walls, each moan coming out faster and heavier each time.

My muscles clenched around him, making him groan. He never stopped his pace, sending me over the edge. I tilted my head back as my nails found purchase in his back. He let out a groan of a laugh and grunted a bit as he continued to move through my climax.

His hands moved to grip my ass in a bruising hold as he rode out a mild wave of pleasure, refusing to release just yet. He tilted me towards him so he could thrust deeper.

I looked into his pale eyes and caught his lips with mine again as I realized, I had almost lost all of this. I had been so ready to die, and for what? Memories that didn’t even matter to me anymore? I had a new life, people that cared about me and whom I cared about just as much. I was with a man that accepted who and what I was.

I wasn’t alone anymore.

I would make Lucifer pay dearly for what he almost stripped me of.

I wrapped my legs around his hips, giving him better depth and making him hiss. “You’re going to make this end too quickly, Hana,” he moaned between clenched teeth.

“Mm, will I?” I rocked my hips with him, meeting his thrusts. I felt his grip increase on my ass. I leaned up and took his earlobe between my teeth, tickling it with my breath. “I want to make my King of Nightmares come.”

His lips found themselves on my neck and he sank his teeth into my skin, making me whimper in a mix of pain and pleasure. He growled into the flesh, making a tingle rise up to my head. His sharp thrusts were getting faster and harder, and I was meeting his thrusts with equal fervor. I wanted to make him feel good in any way possible. “I’m almost there,” he moaned.

I grinned and clenched down on him on purpose, loving the surprised and then immediately mischievous looks he gave me. My grin couldn’t last as he tore through the hold, forcing a borderline scream from my throat. “Don’t stop, Pitch, oh gods above, please don’t stop.” Instead he quickened his pace, intensifying my climax to a point where I could only gouge valleys in his back as I reached peaks I had almost forgotten about.

He chuckled as he rode out my climax. “I must be doing something right. You’re screaming my name instead of that pet name of yours.”

I let out a breathy chuckle as he slowed his pace, letting me calm down. “Don’t lie, you like your pet name. It’s softer than your real name.”

He ran his hands up my thighs and leaned over my ear. “Kozmotis.”

I was thrown off for a moment. “What?”

“My birth name is Kozmotis.” He picked up his pace gradually. “It’s the name that I used before I became Pitch Black.” He gave me a hard stroke, making me gasp.

“I’m getting close again…”

“So am I. Don’t hold back. Scream for me.”

Our sounds of pleasure were increasing again, and I held on to his neck tightly as my body seized up. I bit his shoulder, mewling into his flesh. As soon as I could relax again, I tried speaking. “Kozmotis,” I whispered into his ear.

His pace became almost animalistic, his breathing ragged. “That’s it, Serah. Again.”

“Don’t stop, Kozmotis. Fuck, don’t stop. Don’t—“ He sent me over once more and I was sure I had drawn blood on his back by now.

His body gave a slight shake and he clenched his jagged teeth together. With a loud groan he reached down and pulled out, finishing himself off on my belly. We laid motionless for a moment, watching our chests heave against the skin.

I couldn’t believe how close I had been to giving in to Lucifer, how close I had been to giving up a man like Pitch. I almost felt a little sick and leaned up to kiss him again. “I owe you so much,” I said against his lips. “I don’t even know how to start paying you back for everything you’ve done.”

“Stay with me in Italy. You used to love it there.”

“I still do.” I looked down at his chest and trailed my fingers over this smooth skin, marred only by the deep scar over his heart.

“When this is said and done, come back with me. We’ll move everything you’ve accumulated over the years if we have to.”

I let out a sigh of a laugh. I didn’t have much else to lose by not going. “Alright. So long as you help me pack.” As he smiled again, I could see just how tired he was in the light of the fireplace. His usually sunken eyes looked worse. “What the hell is keeping you awake?”

He looked down. “It could be the fact I’m still on top of a beautiful, naked woman.”

I pushed at his shoulder. “Knock it off and get me something to clean off with.”

He muttered something about not taking orders but got to his feet regardless, holding his pants up as they fell down his thighs and almost tripped him.

I held back my laughter as he fetched a spare blanket and tossed it to me. “Now I would’ve loved to see that. You falling on your face with your pants around your ankles.”

He rolled his eyes and fastened his pants again. “Ha ha, very funny.” He pointed to me. “Don’t make me slip a sex dream into your mind while you’re sleeping around the others.”

I paused in cleaning off my belly. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Test me and find out.” He sat on the floor, leaning against the bed so he could face the fire.

“You’d be the biggest ass I know.”

“Thought I already was.” He reached behind him to get a loose blanket from the bed as I crawled over and laid over his chest. He wrapped it around both of us. I almost expected him to slip into sleep immediately, but he kept himself awake.

I frowned. “Why don’t you sleep? You need it.”

“Once you’re asleep I will. We don’t know if there’s any after-effects of the bites. I’d rather not go through that again.”

If I wasn’t as tired as I was, I would have laughed. He for sure wasn’t a knight in shining armor, but he was still my tall, dark, and handsome savior. I did let a smile slip as I knew what he wasn’t saying. I placed a kiss to his chest. “Thank you, Kozmotis. I just don’t know how easy I can fall asleep.”

He conjured a ball of his dark sand. “This can help. Nightmare-free, of course.”

I nodded and let him sprinkle the sand over my head. I can’t remember how fast exactly I fell asleep. However, I do remember him mumbling something. What it was I wasn’t sure. There were more important matters at hand. Lucifer would pay for hat he had done, and everything he was about to do.


	14. Chapter 14

Fortunately for us all, the bite had no after-effect. I didn’t expect it to. The venom was made to drive a person to suicide within eight hours. The potency would work each time. I doubt Lucifer put any thought into a person’s survival.

I woke to North’s shout of joy form somewhere within the Pole. I had been moved at some point to the bed, curled up against a body I knew so well already. I was faintly aware he hadn’t bothered to dress either of us, only engulf us in the sheets to ward off the cold.

He sighed without opening his eyes. “It would seem North has found something.”

I sat up, shifting the blankets to my hips. “Anything is better than fighting blind.”

“Either that or he had a visit from Clara this morning.”

I laughed. “You know she’s busy in the village right now.” I raised my arms to stretch.

The door burst open so fast I had no idea it had happened until it was too late. I yelped and pulled the sheets up to my chest as Pitch rose, murder in his eyes.

“This better be good, North!”

North shielded his eyes. “ _Izvinite_! I’ve got solution. I’ll be needing both of you.”

I nodded, despite the situation. “What do you need us to do?”

* * *

 

We joined everyone around the large wooden table once we had found our clothes strewn about the room.

“Everyone has weakness, no?”

“Depends on who we’re talking about,” Bunny said, crossing his arms. I could see his eyes flick beside him where Pitch stood.

“Everyone does have weakness,” North continued. He slapped a large tome open on the table and pointed to it. “Our target is no different.”

I couldn’t understand the language that was written in the tome, but I saw a few reading with full comprehension. Pitch looked to North. “You need his fears,” he muttered. “That’s why you need me.”

“We must all play a part in this,” I said, keeping the peace. I kept trying to pinpoint the language, but it was well before my time. “What is this?”

Tooth took it and placed a finger to a certain line, translating it. “ _The farmer readily traded his wife to the evil man, wanting the best soil for his crops. Over time, the man grew fond of the wife, and she of him. When the farmer’s crops began to die, the man was blamed, for he had traded off foul land that would produce nothing. He was known for his wicked ways, but none could prove it without backlash. He was finally tried and, as punishment the wife was killed before him to set an example for his doomed soul.”_ She frowned and continued on. _“The man regretted nothing of his actions and laughed through his last breaths. Their bodies were buried in different locations. However, after six days, the man’s grave was found torn up and the body missing. From that day, his name was associated with all evil deeds that were seen as taboo, unclean, or sinful.”_ She looked over the book. “This is several thousand years old, North.”

He nodded. “But it shows he has weakness.”

“What, that fleeting mention that he cared about someone?” Jack said, shifting his staff from one hand to the other. “That is not a weakness.”

“You’ve never been in love.”

Jack looked at Pitch, who locked his jaw. He didn’t say another word.

North caught my eye. “With manner of death, her soul may be here still.”

I nodded, but felt helpless at the same time. I was not a reaper. I couldn’t find souls, I could only send them off when they were ready to accept it, and to control them. “I wouldn’t know where to look. This thing doesn’t say where they died.”

“But Pitch can know,” he countered, looking to the man in question. “What say you, Pitch?”

He looked to the others, gauging their reactions. I myself almost believed he wouldn’t help. However, he eventually nodded.

North’s features brightened as well as the others’. “Then it would appear we have plan of action.” He swept an arm to the elevator. “To the sleigh!”

Even if we could find Lucifer’s weakness, even if we could stop him before he raised hell, quite literally, it would be at great cost. We were running out of time. Christmas was slipping from our grasp. It was then it dawned on me. “North? Isn’t your sleigh full of gifts?”

He let out a bark of a laugh as we rushed to the elevator, wasting no time. “How do you think I deliver all in one trip? Storage is wonderful thing, no?”

I laughed as we dodged yetis securing the last reindeer in place. As the others jumped into the sleigh, it took me a moment to join them. I wasn’t looking forward to the crazy ice runway, but if they believed it would be the faster way, so be it.

I wasn’t sure if we could save the population of the world in time to avoid an apocalyptic response. Humans were on edge due to their own actions as it was. Add in a devil to the mix, and they weren’t too far off from a true post-apocalyptic world where no one was safe.

Jack held back, offering me a smile. “It’ll all work out in the end.”

I nodded as North took the reins while we got on board. “I hope you’re right.” The reindeer reared at the sound of North’s snapping whips and shot forward, making the sleigh lurch forward, leaving my stomach back where we started. North threw a snow globe ahead of us, creating a portal for us to slip through. There was no turning back now.

If only my stomach had the same enthusiasm.


	15. Chapter 15

It was far too quiet for a Christmas evening. Kids should have been playing in the snow outside, should have been outside in general. Trees stood silent in the windows, glowing softly amongst the stillness of the night.

It was more unnerving than anything I had seen before.

The streets themselves were void of life. As we traveled the snow-covered lawns, the crunches echoed eerily. Cars were missing from driveways, and lawn lights were off. I looked to North, seeing his expression pained. I could only imagine the anguish he felt, knowing families were suffering on his watch. I took his hand in mine and was surprised to feel him hold on like I was a lifeline.

Bunny stopped us as we reached an empty baseball field at a park. He leapt forward, nose twitching in the air. Almost immediately a hiss rose up from the darkness.

“I hope that was you,” Jack said, his staff held at the ready while we also drew our weapons.

“I don’t know how to hiss like that, mate,” he answered, his ears perked and forward. He backed into us as we pressed our backs together. The hissing seemed to come from all around us. As it came closer, my stomach dropped.

More than one anaconda came out of the shadows. Many more.

And they had us surrounded.

My grip tightened on my scythes, holding back my fear while the snakes slowly approached. We each prepared to break and kill as many as we could when they stopped, still as the night.

A deep chuckle sounded, and the crunching of snow followed. “You Guardians take your jobs seriously, don’t you?” Lucifer emerged from the shadows of a home, followed closely by two of the massive goatmen. “Why can’t you just accept the new order? Demons are much more efficient than humans. They don’t break as easily.”

I kept my focus on the snakes. There was no way I was going to be bitten again.

“However, it seems I have underestimated you. No one has survived the Mark before. I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Pitch,” North muttered, “we will distract minions. You take Lucifer.”

I saw him nod in agreement and lean forward. All at once we struck. The six of us took on the snakes as Pitch sank into the shadows, appearing right before Lucifer. I had no time to worry about him, nor did I let myself. He could defend himself better than anyone I knew. I worried more for my own safety. I managed to slice through seven of the snakes within a minute. I had no time to look around and see how everyone else was doing. I ducked in time to avoid a deadly swing from one of the goatmen, and had to do a back handspring to avoid a strike from another snake. With a sharp whistle I called for Hessian to help in the battle as more and more snakes came. The goatman took all my attention. I needed the backup. The horse appeared instantly and jumped into action with a vicious growl.

With my focus free again, I turned to the goatman, who was scratching up snow with his hoof. I held my scythes at the ready. “Torro!” The goatman sprang forward and I leapt out of the way, rolling back up to my feet. It changed direction, hammer raised. I dodged a swing, spinning around to sink one of my scythes into its side. It howled in pain. I tried getting the scythe out but it was too far in. I abandoned it as I narrowly avoided a swing of its hammer. I used the other scythe to take the weapon hand off at the wrist.

It didn’t slow down at all.

Bleeding from its side and its stump of an arm only enraged it more. Foam fell from its mouth as it turned on me again, head lowered. I did the only thing I could do and fell into the shadows as it got close enough and reached up for its ankle. I managed to snag it and pull it down into the shadows with me enough to get it stuck. I resurfaced beside it, out of the way of its flailing limbs as it tried reaching for me, roaring its demonic sounds. I thought I had it trapped and raised my scythe for the kill, but it merely tugged so hard it ripped away from its trapped food.

The godforsaken thing ripped its own foot off to get to me. What the hell was Lucifer feeding it?

My nerves seized and I immediately changed my path, avoiding its limping lunge. I thought I had an advantage as it fell to the ground with a frustrated snarl. I advanced on it, ready to end the whole charade when I stopped in horror. Both the severed limbs became engulfed in black fire, slowly taking the shape of the missing appendages. In the fire-coated hand, another hammer solidified and the goatman jumped to its feet. I swallowed. I steeled myself and readied my weapon for a final blow. “It’s going to be like that, is it?”

The goatman merely scratched at the ground again, kicking up dirt form below the snow, snorting in anger.

“So be it.” I jumped forward at the same time the goatman did. However, at the last second I fell into the shadows again and reemerged as it traveled over me. Before it had a chance to correct its stance, I leapt onto its back and swept my scythe through its neck. It took all my strength to cut through the skin, sinew, and bone. I pushed off from its back, shoving the body into the snow. I’d for sure feel the aftermath in the morning.

With my opponent downed, I yanked my other scythe from its side. I chanced a look to the others. They each summoned in helpers to fend off the snakes while they battled the remaining goatman. Sandy had created, wisely enough, a pack of jaguars out of his sand. They each took their turns on the goatman, but were slowly wearing it down. I looked around again, but could not see Lucifer or Pitch where they had started their fight. I could hear weapons clashing farther away. I whistled for Hessian and followed the noise, finding no trace of the two at all.

I turned around a concession building in the park we were fighting in, just as a body was thrown past me. “Pitch!”

“Get out of here, Hana.” He knelt in the snow for a moment, wiping at his jaw. In the light of the moon I could see it shine red. “I can’t afford to be distracted.”

Lucifer chuckled as he came out from behind the building, looking as if he had taken no damage at all. “Is that all the terrifying Boogeyman has to offer?” His sword reflected the moonlight menacingly, lightening up the snow. His eyes glowed orange in the dark of the night.

Pitch only gave a sharp laugh. “I’m only having a bit of fun.” He gripped his huge scythe and leapt forward, striking Lucifer’s form. The devil merely dodged out of the way, knocking the scythe back with his sword. Pitch corrected his swing just as easily, continuing his blow. He managed to knock Lucifer in the air, sending him flying into the football field. He turned to me, griping my shoulders. “I managed to find the woman,” he muttered low enough so Lucifer couldn’t hear, despite the distance he had been thrown. “She is in an unmarked grave in Palestine, under a large oak. I’ll use my tunnels to send you there directly, but you must be swift. Don’t worry about us.”

I nodded my understanding.

“Her name is Lucretia.” He opened a Void entrance in the shadow created by the building. “Get her.”

I swung up into Hessian’s saddle, almost ready to leave. Just as I went to spur the stallion into the portal, something happened I never wanted to see.

A sword protruded from Pitch’s chest with a sickening sound. My blood went cold as Lucifer stepped from behind him, a grin on his face.

Lucifer twisted the blade, sending it further through his body. “Even if she escapes, I’ll still have the pleasure of killing you and the others, as well as all the sinners of this planet.”

I didn’t know what to do. Everything slowed down. The only thing I could hear was the sound of the sword slicing through flesh. I could only see his shocked face. Could only smell his blood rising to the surface. I couldn’t breathe. “Pitch…”

He didn’t say a word as his eyes narrowed. He raised his hand and summoned Onyx from the shadows. The Nightmare pushed Hessian forward into the portal.

“No! Hessian, don’t--!” The horse only pushed forward and shadow tendrils raise form his back, preventing me from leaping from it. “Pitch!”

He only gave me a sad smile, a trickle of blood escaping his lips.

The last thing I saw as the void swallowed me up was Lucifer yanking the sword from Pitch’s back, sending him to his knees as a trail of blood followed the blade. Everything began to crash in my mind. And, almost as fast, everything went numb. I gripped the reins tightly in my grasp and looked ahead to the end of the Void’s path, determination pumping the blood in my ears. Lucifer would die. And I would be the one to kill him when it came down to it.


	16. Chapter 16

At the time, it felt like I traveled the Void for hours. I’d come to realize later that it was only fifteen minutes. Nothing seemed right anymore. I refused to believe he had been slain. He was stronger than that, faster, wiser. He had survived years of battles, especially before he had been sealed here on Earth.

And now… now he was gone. He had tried so hard to change to be a better man to me, while still holding on to who he was to the children of the world. All of that, and I had refused to trust him completely. I had been so stupid, so selfish to demand that he change for me. He was who he was, and that should have been enough for me.

Hessian remained silent as he ran, never stopping for breath. His mind pressed to mine though, just to relay comfort through the link. Even Onyx brushed her sand tendrils over my arms, showing she felt just as much sorrow.

I spurred Hessian on faster. The end of the tunnel was in sight. I had to beat down the cold feeling of dread trying to rise in my chest. His sacrifice could not be in vain. I had to make it back before the others met the same fate.

I had to shield my eyes as we emerged in sunlight, and I felt the heat on my skin. I had a general idea of where Palestine was, but had never thought it would be this warm. Hessian’s hooves dug in to the dirt as he came to a halt with a snort, tossing his head. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I looked ahead of us, spotting the largest tree I had ever seen. “This must be it.” I jumped out of the saddle and ran to the tree. I looked all around, getting more and more anxious as I found no indication that anything was buried there. True it had been an unmarked grave, but there still should have been at least an aura. I desperately pressed my hands to the bark. “Please, Lucretia. Still be here.”

Very faintly, I heard a response, and I almost collapsed in relief. “Tia, please.”

I had to lean my head to the bark, my legs starting to feel weak. “Tia then.”

“Why are you here?” There was a second of silence before she asked, “How can you hear me?”

I turned to the sound of the soft voice and saw the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on, both living and dead. Her very old dress covered her feet, but made no secret of her lovely curves. Her face was one of angels; a perfectly slanted nose, almond shaped hazel eyes, and long brown hair that fell to her waist. Her delicate hands were folded in front of her as she looked at me curiously. I didn’t need to use my ability to see her inner beauty as well as her physical one.

Her story instantly clarified to one of Beauty and the Beast, a gorgeous woman held captive by a cruel beast of a man, expected to be a slave the rest of her life. Instead, she fell for her captor, and he of her. I couldn’t stop the words as they flew out of my mouth. “Why Lucifer?”

“Tucian was a… complicated man, even in his mortal life.” Her eyes dropped to the shade of the enormous tree. “However, he wasn’t an evil man to me. He showed me a side no one saw. He was horrible at first, but he changed. He was afraid of being alone.”

It struck home so hard it hurt. I put a hand to my heart, trying to steady it. It refused to calm down, and to stop hurting. “He killed someone I love.”

Tia’s gaze grew sadder. If possible, it only made her more attractive. “I’m sorry he is what he is. It is his choice.”

“Can’t you talk to him? Tell him to stop his path of destruction?”

She shook her head. “I fear I cannot leave this place. No one has been able to release my spirit.”

I nodded. “You feel too much regret to move on.”

“Tucian is how he is now because of me. I regretted not protecting him more than I did. He was still killed after me, all because the villagers had grown tired of his deceits and blackmails.” She rubbed at her arms, and I was immediately struck with an image of myself. “I tried to help him change, and he wouldn’t. He loved ruining lives too much to stop. He loved it more than he loved me. The villagers wanted to make it clear that they had had enough and sentenced me to death, and made him watch. I was used as an example to him. They say it didn’t get to him, but as I looked upon him that day, I saw it did. He just couldn’t let them know it. He was too prideful.”

Hessian stood by my side and nudged my arm. “Lucifer—Tucian needs you now. The whole world needs you now.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What exactly has he done?”

“He has succumbed to his madness. He is bringing the apocalypse to the world, starting tonight. He means to rid the world of sinners, both benign and deadly.” I showed her the bite marks on my arm which had refused to heal just yet. “He is giving them a fear toxin and making them all kill themselves. He is making them void of judgement, sending them straight to his possession. He tried to do it to me.”

Tia held a hand to her mouth and looked away from the wounds. “I’m sorry for everything he has done, but I cannot do anything. I cannot leave. I am bound to this place until someone releases me. The reapers gave up long ago. They will not come for me.”

I couldn’t help but step forward and grab her arm. It seemed to shock her that I could physically touch her. “Tia, I am Hana Eve. I am the embodiment of Halloween, of All Hallows Eve. I share the powers of a reaper. I can take you from this place.” I gestured to the oak tree. “You’ve been trapped here for so long…”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Could you? Would you really be able to take me to him?”

I nodded, the anxious feeling mounting in my stomach again. “I can.” I took her hand and covered it with my own. “Please, before I do, you have to promise to stop Tucian from proceeding with his plans. The world cannot be shrouded in darkness. It isn’t time yet for the humans to face mass judgement, and even if it was, it shouldn’t be done like this. They shouldn’t be forced to sin and commit suicide.”

She nodded, a short laugh escaping her as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Yes, yes I agree! Please, take me to see my Tucian.” She wiped the tears away as Onyx approached us. “I cannot stop him from being Lucifer, but I can try to stop him from this. I’m very sorry he took someone from you. Was he your husband?”

I shook my head. “No. Just… someone very dear to me.” I helped her on to Onyx’s back. “He was the only man I ever loved.” I found no point in keeping anything secret anymore. Talking about him helped.

“Was he a Spirit like you?”

“In a way.” I swung into Hessian’s saddle and turned him around. “We need to hurry.”

She nodded and I spurred both horses on. I knew where I was going and opened a portal of my own with the help of the shadows of the oak. “Stay close, Onyx.”

The Nightmare snorted in understanding and kept her pace matched with Hessian’s. They didn’t slow down for a moment as we slunk into the shadows. I heard Tia gasp.

“This is what we call the Void. I use it to travel large distances with the help of Hessian.”

She caught my gaze. “Did he teach you how to use this ability?”

I nodded again. “Yes. He taught me everything I know.” I gave a soft laugh. “He showed affection in very strange ways, but they were unique to him. It was different from what I was used to. In the end, I grew to love him in a way I never thought I’d love anyone.”

Tia looked ahead. “I felt the same about Tucian. He treated me better than my own husband had. Such is the price of arranged marriages.”

I remembered she had been traded for what was thought to be good farm land. As for anything else, we had no idea.

“Tucian taught me to read, how to fend for myself, and how to defend myself if I went into town to gather supplies. He let me out more than a captor usually would let his slaves out. I didn’t feel like a slave. I was treated better as one than as a wife.”

“Funny. My life improved vastly after I died as well.” I gripped Hessian’s reins tighter as he continued to speed to the end of the tunnels. “I’m sure you’ve heard the stories of the Man in the Moon.”

“Yes, I’ve heard word of him. He exists?”

“As much as you or I, yet no one has seen him. None of us that I know of, at least. He does speak to us when he needs to, such as when he gives us a new life.” I glanced down at my wrists for the briefest of moments, but Tia must have been watching me.

“Your burns... Were you bound?”

I swallowed past a lump in my throat, feeling my collar tighten. “I didn’t believe in God when I was alive in the early fifteen-hundreds. Back then, if you didn’t believe, you were a witch, a sinner, a heathen. You didn’t deserve the life God supposedly gave you if you spurned Him from your life.” My hand traveled to my collar. I showed her what only one man had seen to that day. I showed her the scarred throat. “I was tried and hanged as a witch while my whole village cheered.”

She went silent for a moment, processing the information, and I let her have her time. It wasn’t every day she would meet someone like me, or the other Chosen. “Why a collar? The most logical form of coverage would be a scarf, would it not?”

My fingers trailed over the thick leather of the collar.

_“I know you hate the marks, so I’ve brought you a gift…”_

“Hana?”

I shook my head. “What?”

“I asked you why a collar?”

“Oh.” I looked down at the skull charm that only stared back with an empty gaze. “It… was a gift. To help me cope with what had happened.”

I looked to her as she nodded. Tia reached into her dress and pulled out a simple chain. No charms or gems rested on it. Just a plain gold chain. “Tucian gave this to me. It was the first real gift I had ever received from a man. It was something special, and made me realize he wasn’t as horrible as he let on to everyone.”

I pressed my lips together as the end of the tunnel approached. “Let’s just hope he will still react the same to you now as he did then.” I locked my gaze with hers. “I hope you’re ready.”

“I am.”

“Well then.” I flicked Hessian’s reins. “I believe it’s time we end this.”


	17. Chapter 17

I had expected devastation upon my return, due to how long it had felt I had been gone. Instead I still heard the clashing of weapons and the calls of a heavy battle. We emerged from the Void into the woods close to the park. I couldn’t see anyone, but the sounds were deafening. I dismounted and moved to help Tia down. “This way.” I led her across the snow-covered fields, following the only clues I had to the others. We had to avoid many dead snakes, as well as the bodies of additional fallen goatmen.

I could clearly see Tia’s pained expression in the light of the moon. “He did all this…”

I nodded, pushing forward. “No time to dwell on it. Come on.” We followed the noises through the thick trees following a freshly drawn trail of blood in the once-white snow. An inhuman cry ripped through the night right ahead of us. Before we broke through the brush, we saw that the trees gave way to a clearing. North drove his sword up through a goatman’s jaw, yanking it out once it penetrated the thing’s skull. With it downed, the five pressed their backs together in a circle, looking for any other opponents.

As I was about to bring Tia into the clearing, Lucifer himself came out of the shadows, approaching the Guardians. “You are stubborn, I’ll give you that. However, it is getting late, isn’t it Santa Claus? Ten at night, by my calculations. I hope you can reach all the children of the world in time.” His teeth reflected the moonlight as he grinned. “That is, if you can get back to that sleigh of yours.”

I felt Tia grip my arm tightly. I couldn’t blame her for whatever she must have been feeling. She had gone so long without seeing the man she loved, and when she finally could have the chance, she saw him as a shell of his former self. “This isn’t right…”

I could only nod at her fearful whisper. Even though I liked Tia, and wanted nothing but her happiness, I wanted Lucifer dead. He deserved it for everything he had done. For… for his death. I clenched my teeth together to steady myself. I looked away from the clearing. One person was going to end up hurt this night.

I refused to let Tia be that person. “Stay here.”

“What will you do?”

“Whatever I have to. When I motion for you, come out. Until then, stay put.” Once sure she understood, I emerged from the trees. “Lucifer, you have to stop.”

His gaze turned to me and I swallowed my rage. His grin only broadened. “So the coward returns. I had thought you would have fled for good after I killed that boogeyman of yours.” He gave a deep growl of a laugh that only snapped another thread of my control. “Such a shame he didn’t get a chance to say his final words while you were around. I’m sure they would have been… sentimental.”

“You obviously didn’t know him that well.” I summoned my scythes to my sides again. “This is your last warning. Call off this whole thing, and I’ll let you walk away from this unscathed.”

He laughed as the others looked at me incredulously. I could see them trying to make sense of everything. “The Guardians and the Boogeyman were no match for me and my army. What makes you think you’ll fare any better?”

I looked to the trees and nodded. “I have a weapon the others didn’t have.”

He followed my gaze and I could see his entire demeanor falter. “Lucretia?”

Tia came into the clearing, giving off a slight ethereal glow. “Tucian.” She smiled sadly. “It’s been too long, my love.”

He took a tentative step forward. “It’s… it can’t be. I had thought you moved on. I couldn’t find you. I looked everywhere. It can’t…” He looked to me, his sneer returning. “How dare you trick me with Lucretia’s image? I’ll send you to your grave once and for all, witch!” He moved to strike me and I had to dodge out of the way of his sword.

I hadn’t expected that reaction. I wasn’t even sure what I had expected. The others tried to move forward to help, but I called to them to stay put and protect Tia. Lucifer was my target and mine alone. I crossed my scythes in front of me, catching his sword as he tried to drive it down. “It really is Tia! Look closely! I brought her here for you, you son of a bitch!” The metal screamed as I drew the scythes apart, pushing his sword back just long enough to roll out of the way.

“You lying whore! I’ll see to it I kill you myself, just like I killed your lover!”

His strikes increased in velocity. I couldn’t keep up. I parried every attack I could and countered when I had the opportunity, but he only blocked and parried as well.

My scythes were caught on his sword and he drew his boot up to deliver a blow to my stomach. I had no way of blocking it, and was sent back into the snow. I felt the sharp shock of cold run through me. I rolled over and tried to scramble for my fallen weapons.

Lucifer kicked them away from my grasp and shifted to kick my stomach again, sending me to my back as an explosion of pain racked my entire being. I went blind for a moment, and couldn’t hear much besides a dull ringing. The pain came again and again as he carried out blow after blow, more than I could handle.

As soon as it all started, it stopped. I opened my eyes to see the moonlight staring back at me, albeit blurry.

A dark shadow blocked my view. The light reflected off a shining surface, hitting my vision as the shadow cleared to show Lucifer standing his sword over me, his sword ready to be driven down. I had no fight left in me. I was willing to die at that point. _You won’t be alone for long, love…_

“I’ll make sure your soul is tormented after it is severed from your body.”

I felt blood rise up in my throat and I coughed it up uselessly, flinching at the thick copper tang. He must have punctured something. “So long as… so long as I don’t have to listen to your voice.”

“No, that would be too easy for a deceitful witch like yourself.” His grin shined through the night again. “I think I’ll have you… hang around for a few thousand years.” His laughter echoed through the night, heightening my anxiety.

“The-the villagers were right to kill you. You’re a monster.”

“Yes I am!” He pulled back to strike and I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain to rip through my body.

It never came. I looked to see Tia’s arms wrapped around his waist, holding him back from delivering the killing blow. “Please, Tucian. Stop all this. Why must they all die?”

“The world needs to remember who I am, what I am capable of,” he replied, sounding almost unsure of himself.

“But why? Tucian, this isn’t you. This isn’t who you are.”

“Tucian is dead. I am Lucifer.”

“I don’t care!” Even I almost jumped at her shout, if I wasn’t in so much pain. “Tucian or Lucifer, whoever you are, why does the world need to die to remember who you are? What will there be to remember when they’re all dead, in your realm?”

Lucifer’s sword fell slightly. “They need to remember.”

“They need to live to remember.” She let go of his waist and stood between myself and him. “Tell me this. What would you do after? What would you do when the whole world was at your command?”

He tried to answer, but found he couldn’t.

After a few moments of silence, Tia took his hands in hers, pulling his sword from his weakened grasp. “Tucian, please. Let this go.”

“If no one remembers, then who am I?”

“You are Tucian. My lover. The man who cares most for me.” She pulled the chain out of her dress again. His gaze immediately fell to it. “Please Tucian. Let’s move on.”

“I-I can’t. Tia, I can’t. What if—“

Despite the situation, she let out a huff of a laugh. “What if, what if. Is that what you’ve been reduced to lingering on? So long as one person remembers your name, you will never be forgotten.” She pulled him into a tight embrace. “You will never be alone.”

The night air went silent and heavy as a cold breeze passed through, easing some of my pain.

“I remembered you all this time. Doesn’t that count for anything?”

“It does, but—“

“There is no more to fight about.” She gestured to me. “This woman has given me the chance to move on from this world. I am no longer bound to it. It is my choice where I go.”

If a soul was as pure as hers, she had an instant pass to cross over to the other realm once she let go of her regret. However, she also had a choice to follow Lucifer into his realm.

“If you continue this madness, I will cross over to the other realm, and you will never see me again.” She took his face in her hands and made him look at her. Despite her being a head and a half shorter than him, he still allowed it. “Don’t make me do that, Tucian. I don’t want to, but I will. Make your choice.”

I was shocked she was willing to make such a sacrifice. This was the first time she had seen the man she loved in several thousand years. Yet here she was, ready to give all of that up just to save the rest of the world.

After what seemed like hours, Lucifer finally answered. “Let’s go home, Tia.” Without another word, he faded away with Lucretia, leaving the six of us alone in the woods.

A few moments of silence passed. “What just happened?” I said to the sky, still hurting quite a bit, though the snow helped.

“I think… I think we won,” Jack breathed from somewhere to my right.

I wanted to cheer. It just didn’t seem right. “At what cost?” I saw a hand reach out and I took it, feeling an instant familiar chill. Jack helped me to my feet and kept me steady as a sharp pain racked my bruised ribs. They all had a reason to cheer. Why weren’t they?

“I’m so sorry, Hana,” he whispered, and the others approached us, heads bowed.

I nodded and wiped the blood from my lips. “At least we won. That’s what matters.”

Limping footsteps fell in the snow in the trees, faint at first. Then it grew louder, closer. The others drew their weapons again, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Lucifer may have been gone, but that didn’t mean one of his goatmen couldn’t have been left behind. My anxiety mounted as it got louder, right behind the trees. I was defenseless, and I knew everyone was on their last legs. We would not be able to handle another assault.

My legs almost gave out from under me as a tall figure emerged from the trees, almost in much pain as I was. I couldn’t believe it. There was no way…

I lightly pushed away from Jack, nearly falling as soon as he let me go, both from pain and my seemingly boneless legs. “It can’t—Powers above, is it really you?”

He could only grin, his pale eyes shining in the moonlight. “Took a while to find you all. I take it we’ve won?”


	18. Chapter 18

I took another small step forward, still not trusting my eyes or my balance. “I saw you… I saw you get stabbed through.” I took another step as he stood still. “I saw him twist the blade.” I blinked to try to clear my vision, thinking it was an illusion. “I saw you fall.”

He chuckled and I noticed him holding a hand to his bloody chest. “It isn’t too serious. Just a minor hole in my chest.”

I wasn’t one to display a variety of emotions in public. I tended to not show when I was upset, nor when I was scared. I never wanted to appear weak in front of people. However seeing him standing there, alive, I couldn’t stop the elation that tore through my entire being. A lump formed in my chest, and I felt tears stain my cheeks. “You’re really alive.”

“So far as I know.”

My small steps became a stumbling gait as it slowly sank in he was really there. My body screamed at me to stop moving, to just lie still, but I refused. I kept going until my legs finally gave out and I fell forward into him. In his own weakened state he dropped to his knees with me. Instinctively I held on as tightly as I could, overwhelmed at being able to touch him again. “I thought you were dead,” I muttered into his shoulder.

“I had to make you think I was. I couldn’t have you worrying about me.”

“Jerk.” I wanted to slap him, to make him hurt for lying to me. Instead I kissed him, never wanting him to leave again. Now I knew how he felt when he fought against the toxins in my veins. I knew exactly why he made love to me that night in such a desperate way.

Someone clearing their throats made me remember we weren’t alone. Embarrassment rushed through me and I pulled back, letting me realize he was flinching in pain. “There is a minor problem,” he said through clenched teeth. “I do still have a hole that needs sealing up.”

“We’ll take you back to Pole,” North said, making me look at the others. “You can rest there.”

Tooth perked up with her fairies. “North, what about Christmas? How will you get all the presents delivered in time? It’s already sunrise in other continents!”

“We can deliver them,” Bunny offered. “We did it for you, why not for North?”

“Only if you all have energy to help,” North said.”

I almost offered. However the pain in my ribs reminded me it would be a very bad idea to run around delivering presents to children.

“I think we can find a second wind,” Jack answered. “Though I believe Hana is also out for helping. That was some beating you took.”

I’d be feeling the blows for quite some time. I nodded, wanting nothing more than to sleep right where I was, feeling protected and at ease. “Rest is top of the list of things to do when we return.”

North let out a whoop of joy that almost made me even more tired just from looking at him. “It is settled. Let us go and save Christmas.” 

* * *

 

I managed to not fall to pieces on the trip back, and I still remained intact as I was returned to the spare room. I would have preferred to return to Italy, but there was no time to make side trips. I don’t think many of us had much left in us to travel out of the way as it was. So, when Pitch’s chest was sealed up and set right again, the others left in a rush to salvage Christmas.

The damage had been done however, and there was no repairing the families who lost a son, a daughter, a spouse, a partner to Lucifer’s evil plans. There would still be somber Christmas mornings for many. Despite that, it could have been much, much worse. I considered ourselves extremely lucky to have come across the story of Tia. Without her, Lucifer would have won and there would have been no Christmas. There would have been nothing at all.

I winced as I subconsciously slouched. I was reprimanded by both my bruised ribs and the man behind me.

“Hold still. I’m almost through.”

Even breathing hurt, but the pain was beginning to lessen the more he bound the ribs. Even so, I’d still hurt for a while. Once his own wounds had been sealed up he had come into the room and ordered me to take everything above my waist off. It had been an excruciating ordeal, but it had to be done. He had sat behind me on the bed and started to bind my ribs with bandages North had provided for me. I didn’t trust anyone else with the job anyway.

I was still mad at him for making me believe he was dead, of course, but I understood why he did it. Instead of worrying about him while I was gone, I only focused on the end goal. He didn’t have to know I wasn’t as angry as I seemed. The whole time he bound my ribs we stayed in silence, the only noise being my hisses as he passed over sensitive flesh. When he was done he motioned for me to turn around. I did so carefully, seeing he had discarded his coat at some point. He pulled me forward into a protective grasp and I responded in kind. We didn’t say anything. He only stroked my hair, completely innocent.

Something about it made me realize what I had almost lost. If Lucifer hadn’t missed anything vital. It made me realize what I almost had to live without. I couldn’t have done it. A life without him… it wouldn’t be worth living. The powerful possibility of how close I had been to losing him made me clutch tighter to his bare shoulders, pressing my face in the crook of his neck as tears flowed past my eyes.

What started as silent tears slowly grew into shaky sobs and his own grasp grew. He would have died still believing I didn’t trust him with everything I was. He would have faded from existence never having the one thing he truly wanted to find again. A family.

I could never provide children for him; we had found out early in our relationship I couldn’t get pregnant. However, I could at least play some part of a stable life for him. I tried to control my tears, though it took much of my restraint to do so. “I’m so sorry, Kozmotis.”

He pulled back, letting me see him frown. “Why are you apologizing?”

“These past few months I’ve been cautious with you, too afraid that you’d revert to who you were when I left.” I swallowed, trying to calm down further. “I had trouble trusting you completely again. I realize now it was stupid. I should have seen how much you’ve changed.”

He shook his head, putting his hands to my shoulders. “You don’t need to apologize. I wouldn’t trust me either after everything I did to you.” He tilted my head up so I could keep his gaze. “Serah, I didn’t expect you to trust me again. I barely expected you to let me back into your life after all the pain I caused you.”

“This whole thing made me realize I needed to give you a better chance.” I leaned in to his hand as he held it to my cheek. “I almost lost you without trusting you.” I cast my gaze down. “I’d provide you with the thing you desire most if I could.”

He looked confused for a moment again before the realization sunk in. His own gaze grew sad. “If only you could.” He moved his thumb against my cheek. “Though there is no set custom that says a family cannot consist of just two people. I know you could give me that at least.”

I couldn’t breathe for a second. It could have either been from the shock of his words or a flash of pain from my ribs. Or both even. I only nodded and pressed my lips to his. I couldn’t say anything. I shifted to my knees over his lap, hissing slightly against the pain. I was in no condition for anything hot and heavy, not physically, but what we were doing was just as good. My arms slid around his back and neck, my fingers gripping his hair how I knew he liked.

His tongue pressed against my lips and I shifted them to allow him through, a moan slipping through as I did. His tongue danced with mine and my grip on his back increased a bit. I could feel him getting hard beneath me, but he made no moves to do anything about it. I pulled back a bit to touch my nose to his, since my horns got in the way of anything else. “Don’t you want to take care of that?”

He shook his head. “It isn’t important.” He pulled me in a soft, long kiss. “I’m satisfied with these sweet lips of yours right now.”

I laughed against his lips and looked at him through my lashes. “Are they really so satisfying?”

“Mm, they are. Addicting like a sweet poison.”

I grinned. “Is that all that’s addicting?”

“Of course not.” His eyes went to my throat as his hands ran up my arms. “Your skin is intoxicating.” His fingers trailed over the swell of my breasts. “Your tits are captivating.” I laughed softly against his lips. He pulled them in again quickly while he tilted his hips upward just as fast, making me gasp against his skin. I felt him grin and pull back, leaning to my ear. “And your pussy is the best thing I’ve tasted in all my life.”

I laughed and pushed at his chest. “Shut up and kiss me again.”

He did, wrapping his arms possessively around me again. It was all I needed, just to reassure myself he was still there. Eventually we both pulled back, and I leaned against his shoulder, content to just feel and hear him breathe as his fingers stroked my arm.

I bit my lip, hesitating. “Hey.”

“Hm?”

“I love you, Kozmotis.”

He kissed my hair. “I love you too, Serah.” He tilted his head to the pillows. “We’re a little beat up physically, but there are other ways we can fool around.”

I grinned into his neck. There were for sure perks to sleeping with the Boogeyman. Ethereal sex was always a good alternative. It was more intense than physical, since our dreams were merged in the process. It wasn’t the real thing, but with his skill of dream manipulation… I repressed a shiver. “If you’re up for it.”

He tilted his head down. “Well, part of me already is.”

I laughed into his skin, pressing my lips to him. “We should be sleeping as it is. No harm in having fun while our bodies recover.” I shifted from his arms, hissing as my ribs gave a twinge.

“Easy, Hana. No sense rushing in to it.”

I let a sharp breath out my nose as I stood up, pacing myself. “Not my intentions.” I unbuttoned my shorts and tried to take them off, but my bruises had other plans.

I heard him sigh and shifted off the bed with me. “Didn’t think I’d have to undress you like this again.”

I held on to his shoulders for balance as he helped me out of the shorts. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been injured like this.”

He reached behind me and turned down the sheets. “I apologized for that sparring session.”

I let out a scoff. “I know. It was my fault anyway.” I sat on the bed again, pacing myself while I slipped under the sheets. “How long do you think we have?”

“Given how long it took them to cover the world for Tooth, probably a few hours.” He shrugged and unfastened his own pants as he went to the other side of the bed. “Then again, I’ll decapitate them if they wake us up before we’ve finished.”

I laughed at his charming grin. “Shut up and get in this bed. Your girlfriend is getting antsy.”

He tossed the pants aside and gave a rumble of a growl as he slipped in next to me. “Should we use the sands if you’re so impatient?”

I nodded. “I mean, it’s not like it takes you long to fall asleep.”

He shrugged and laid on his back. “Another of the perks of dealing in dreams.” He held out his arm and I laid on him as comfortably as I could. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

Before I knew it I was drifting off to sleep. I didn’t have to wait long for his consciousness to press to mine, drawing myself towards where I felt him. He was better at creating the dream planes than I ever was. In the darkness came a door, one I recognized as the one to his room in the lair.

I opened it, entering the room I had become reacquainted with over the last few months. Not much had changed, and he kept it the same as well in this plane. He sat on the edge of the bed, curling his finger towards him.

He didn’t have to tell me twice. I knelt over his legs, feeling him automatically put his hands to my hips for stability. In the dream plane, everything felt more sensitive. His touch made gooseflesh erupt over my skin. I wasted no more time, leaning up and sinking onto his cock as he held it still for me. Both of us couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped our throats. He replaced his hand on my hip once he was in far enough. I held on to his shoulders, not moving, just enjoying feeling him inside me. All mental boundaries were gone, and I could vaguely feel his own desires as well.

I started to rock against him, hearing him let out a hum of approval. In here, I knew what he wanted above all else. He was able to hide nothing from me, just as I was able to hide nothing from him.

One of his arms wrapped around my back while the other gripped my ass, picking me up and throwing me onto the bed with a growl. His body laid flush to mine as he rolled against me. My arms wrapped over his back to keep hold of his shoulders. I pressed my lips to his neck, my cries muffled against his skin. His pace grew so rapid, I could hardly breathe. I begged him not to stop.

His hand slid down my leg, pressing it against his side, making him groan and pull my lips into a bruising kiss. His fingers dug into flesh, letting me feel just a slight bite from his nails.

The slight pain made me tilt my head back, unable to stop the noises he made me make. He took advantage of it, kissing the exposed skin. I didn’t hold back at all. I felt my walls start to constrict around him, but his pace ripped through the hold. My own nails dug into his flesh, though deeper than his ever could. I dragged them down his skin, loving his husky hiss that blew against my throat.

“Harder, Serah.”

I didn’t think twice, giving in to his request. He moaned as I gouged valleys in his skin, his pace faltering. He pressed his lips to mine, pulling a heavy, shuddering breath through his nose as he pressed against my hips harder and faster. I could only mewl against his skin, rocking my hips to meet his.

All at once, I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move. My body seized up as I came, his thrusts stimulating my nerve endings. I grabbed whatever I could of him, my throat exposed to him again.

I cried out for him, begged him to fuck me as hard as he could. I felt his jagged teeth sink into my flesh as he growled, giving me what I wanted. I came around him again, but he was relentless. His ragged moans let me know how close he was. His grip on my hips moved up my sides. I held on to him, pressing my lips to his ear. “Come inside me, Kozmotis.” I bit his ear, panting against it.

“Oh fuck, Serah…” He leaned up, his breathing coming out in shaky groans. His teeth clenched together. He pressed full flush into me, his pace stopping immediately as he let out a low grunt of a growl. His hands held on to my legs, keeping me close to him as his hips jerked.

We both held still, trying to catch our breath. He kept his hold on my legs as he leaned over a bit. He let out a shake of a laugh.

“Mm, what’s funny?”

“Nothing.” He met my eyes, his chest still betraying his lack of breath. “Been a long time since you’ve let me do that.”

“Been a long time since we’ve done this in here. I don’t have to worry about cleanup.” I leaned up on my elbows. “Also don’t have to worry too much about making you bleed.”

“Good thing, too.” He rolled his shoulders, sucking in a sharp breath through his grin. “Fuck I love those nails of yours.”

I hummed in amusement. “You masochist.”

“And sadist. Don’t forget that, love.”

“Oh really? Didn’t get much of that.” I arched a brow. “Care to show me that side again?”

He pulled out of me, leaning back on his ankles. “Can in a few minutes. Or sooner, with some assistance.”

I saw the lead form in his hand. I purred. “Mm, what does my master want of his pet?” I felt him tug hard, pulling me to my knees. I ignored the feeling of dripping against my legs.

“I think we made a mess.” He spread his knees apart and dropped his voice. “Clean it up, pet. Then I’ll think of how to reward you.”

I shivered at his tone. I leaned down, running my hands up his thighs. I made sure he saw me lick my lips before pulling his softening cock between them. I tasted his climax mixed with my own, a sweet concoction due to our diets of fear and nightmares. I moaned, making him twitch against the vibrations.

I felt his fingers glide through my hair, pushing it aside for me at first. I flicked my tongue against him, and his fingers gripped my hair into a fist. He didn’t control me, letting me do as I wished. I was so caught up in what I was doing, I didn’t feel him lean forward. I for sure felt the slap he laid across my ass, making me moan against him again. There was the sadist in him, at least a small amount of it.

He did it again and I jumped, the moan coming out as a high whine. I knew he could do much more, but he had been holding back ever since we started seeing each other again. He had been afraid to delve too deep. Just as he didn’t want to force me into anything, I didn’t want to force him. Whatever he was comfortable with, I’d take. Especially when it sent wonderful tingles up my spine and over my nerves.

He chuckled deep in his throat as he laid down another strike. I whined again into him, needing to pull off for a moment. He grabbed my chin, tilting my head up. “Did I say to stop?”

His voice and eyes sent an electrical shock of arousal through me. I had to press my thighs together. “No, sir.”

I knew he loved the power. I couldn’t blame him. I had made him call me ma’am quite a few times during my own power-trip nights on Halloween. “Well, what the fuck are you waiting for?” He leaned over and smacked me harder, forcing me to reward him with a sharp cry. “Or do you just want me to fuck you now?”

I bit my lip as the sting faded. “Yes, sir.”

“Get me a little harder and I can give my pet what she wants.” He leaned over to my ear, tilting my head up more. “Be sure to keep that ass of yours up.”

I nodded and pulled him back into my mouth, doing as he asked. I could feel his hand still on my now stinging flesh, only this time he was stroking it, easing the pain. I moaned against his hardened cock, feeling him dip his fingers down into my folds.

Without warning he pulled me off and moved to kneel behind me, pressing me down to my hands. I felt a tug on my throat from the collar. He ran his cock up and down my slit, dipping inside and pulling right back out. I couldn’t help the instinctive twitch my hips gave. He pushed inside, forcing a high moan from my throat. Outside of our dreams I had trouble with the position, but inside them, he took advantage of my higher pain tolerance. He loved how it made me scream louder than any other.

He held my hips tight, using it as leverage. Each time he jerked his hips he’d pull me back onto him, using the momentum to fuck me with less effort on his part. I fell to my forearms, gripping the sheets hard as my moans became louder, my breathing in mewling pants. “Pitch… it’s too good!” I arched my back against him, letting him slid in deeper.

“I’m far from done with you.” He pulled the lead, making me arch farther. He instantly hit something in me, forcing my walls to quiver in anticipation. I clenched my eyes closed, only able to cry out for him. I didn’t want him to ever stop. I wanted him to bring me over the edge as many times as he could. My breath caught in my throat as I came, unable to move as he continued his relentless thrusts, drawing out my climax, bringing it to a height that tore through my chest. My mind went cloudy. He wrapped an arm around my waist and I held on to it. “Call for me,” he growled, leaning forward to press his lips between my shoulder blades.

A sharp thrust made me gasp. “Oh fuck, Pitch…”

His teeth sank into my neck in punishment. “Not that name,” he said into my skin.

I moaned again. “Kozmotis.”

His hips jerked hard against me. “Again.”

“Kozmotis.”

“Louder, Serah.”

I almost couldn’t think. My cries became short screams and my nails dug into the skin of his arm. “Kozmotis!” I yelped as I came hard around him. He let out a strangled moan of his own as I tightened hard around him.

He gave a shaky laugh, his pace slowing for a moment. “What are you trying to do? Squeeze my dick off?”

“I can’t help it.” I hummed a satisfied moan, arching my back like a cat in heat. “You feel too good.”

He pressed his chest to my back. “Due to your squeezing I’m almost there. Be sure to take it all, pet.”

I felt his pace increase for a last time, heard his moans and sighs sharpen and quicken in frequency. My head swam as my muscles contracted around him. He let out a loud groan, his hips jerking against me erratically. I felt him fill me up again, my muscles milking him of everything he had left.

He gave a low hum of a moan as he slowed down, twitching a bit as he held still, his grasp around my waist stroking the skin. I panted as my heart thundered against my chest, refusing to calm down. I laughed as he fell slack against my back. “I can’t hold you up, you know.”

His chest expanded against me, and I could feel his heart struggle to regulate itself. “I know.” He used his grip around my waist to pull me to my side.

Everything felt right as our limbs entangled, keeping each other close. Lucifer was defeated, and North had enough time to save the rest of Christmas with the help of the others. Tia had been able to move on. I hadn’t lost the most important person in my life. We weren’t alone in life anymore, and could continue to grow in our small family.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of his fingers running over my skin, wishing with everything I was that I could provide what he most desired in life. He had provided all I ever wanted. It was unfair that I could not give him his desires. I had never experienced the supposed joys of motherhood in my mortal life. And that opportunity had been robbed of me in my afterlife.

He allowed the dream to disperse, letting me rise to consciousness long enough to feel the grip of his real body tighten around me as we both settled back into our own dreams, allowing our battered bodies to continue healing.

However, I wasn’t alone in my dream. I was greeted by a very old acquaintance, one who hadn’t spoken a word to me for four hundred and sixty years. He made me an offer I would have been a fool to turn down. I accepted his gift with tears in my eyes, unable to believe what he had given me.

I could only wait to see if it was real, or if it was only a dream.


	19. Chapter 19

There were a lot of changes that came over the following year. Not just from our end of the spectrum. Jack had finally accepted Toothiana’s, ah, subtle advances, and the two went on a few dates. To my knowledge it didn’t go particularly well, but they had at least tried. Sandy created a whole new batch of his Dreamsand, forming a more potent but lovely batch for kids who couldn’t sleep very well due to the growing troubles in the world. Pitch agreed to back off the children a bit due to the travesties of the world, but still managed to keep his name known.

Tooth’s fairies grew in numbers, and a few of the older ones began to take over her position at the palace, allowing her more time to go back into the field after over four hundred and forty years of directing traffic.

During Easter, Bunny enlisted the aid of everyone to put their individuality into the eggs. He even extended an invitation to Pitch and myself. Needless to say it was a bit nerve-wracking, but he behaved himself, and actually had a bit of fun painting morbid eggs. I allowed the others into the lair during Halloween, hosting a party for them all to thank them for their hospitality.

North finally let some of the elves distribute their toys that following Christmas. It didn’t end as badly as we thought it would have. Only a dozen houses caught on fire.

Even our horses had a change, which was where I found myself that New Year’s Eve night. Hessian pranced back and forth in his stall, looking towards Onyx with anxious glowing eyes. I smiled at the stallion, feeling his elation. I sat in a corner of Onyx’s stall, where she was using my legs as a pillow. The poor Nightmare was so tired after all her exertion that night. It had been all worth it. I stayed up for almost twenty-eight hours straight, making sure I could be there for her. It was worth every waking hour. I stroked her sand-mane as she snorted heavily, calming her heart down.

Around her legs a tiny filly wobbled, her green-marked black fur matted down still from birth. She lost her balance and fell with a weak grunt.

How Hessian had managed to knock up the Nightmare was beyond me, but the filly was such a miracle I didn’t care of the mechanics. Her green stains came from her father, though instead of forming a skeleton, it swirled around like her mother’s markings. When the filly opened her eyes, I was able to see she had received Onyx’s yellow and orange irises. The filly let out a weak cry as she wobbled to her legs, shaking as she propped herself up on all four hooves.

“Come on,” I cooed, holding out my hand. “That’s it, you’ve got it.”

The filly shook as she pulled one foot up to step forward. She stumbled forward a bit but managed to catch herself. Hessian gave a worried snort as he paced in his stall. He’d have to wait, the big baby. The filly nuzzled her mother in a few places before finding her way to the milk source. Again, how Onyx was able to produce such a thing astounded me, but who was I to argue? From my own condition, it was true that anything was possible.

I watched with tired eyes as the baby wiggled happily, drinking her fill. I continued to stroke Onyx’s neck as she finally calmed down, her breath coming out in short, soft bursts. “I may never figure out how you managed this one you two. But she is beautiful.” I looked to Hessian. “What do you think, Dad?”

His consciousness pressed to mine. _“I made that.”_

I let out a breath of a laugh. “Yes, you did. What will you two call her?”

 _“Bellini_.”

I nodded, looking to the filly who had decided to try out her legs some more. “Bellini it is.”

“Is it? I suppose it is fitting.”

I looked up to see Pitch leaning over the wall of the stall, eyeing the filly. “You missed it all.”

“From what I know, I would rather not have been around for it.” He looked to Hessian. “How did he hold up?”

“Like a normal man would. He panicked and fainted.”

He chuckled. “I didn’t the first time. And I won’t this time.” Onyx shifted to her feet with a grunt, and the filly gave a sharp, startled cry. The Nightmare stepped forward and nuzzled her master in a tired manner. “How is my lovely Nightmare doing?” Onyx snorted, her eyes half open. “I see.”

I found it amusing how he could communicate with Onyx, and I could speak with Hessian, but we couldn’t hear the other’s steed at all. “What did she say?”

“She said she never wants to do something like this again.” He stroked her muzzle while Bellini pranced behind her legs, nipping at the sand tendrils. “I believe it will only be a temporary state of mind, though.” Onyx tossed her head with a heavy snort. “Yes it will,” he answered her.

I held on to the back wall, hefting myself up. My muscles were growing more and more sore as the days went on.

I leaned back into his grasp as he moved away from Onyx. “And how is my queen feeling tonight?”

“Tired and sore, but fine nonetheless.” I pulled from his grip to unlock Hessian’s pen, letting the antsy stallion free. “I take it not a lot of people were asleep when you passed through?”

“I should stop venturing out every New Year’s Eve. There isn’t much point anymore.”

I left the stalls to let the new family bond on their own, viewing them from afar, leaning against the gate. I felt his arms snake around my waist, settling around my belly. “You can stay here with me then.” I leaned my head back as he kissed my neck, around the collar.

“I will be around more in a few months. I have enough Nightmares remade to send them out on their own. However, I’d like to increase their numbers for more widespread terror. We’ll need a small stockpile of supplies at home soon.”

I leaned back against him. “And I’ve been working with the bats; they should also be fine on their own.”

“You’ve perfected the powders?”

“Wouldn’t send them out if they weren’t ready.” While it was a horrible experience, the Mark of Trial had given me an idea on how to help Pitch more, and keep him home more nights. I created my own fear toxins that would be dusted on the victims while they slept. It was a minor dose, nothing as horrible as the Mark. Just enough to create night terrors and bad dreams. In return, the bats would siphon the fear and bring it back to us in stones that Pitch had created. “So we both won’t have to work nearly as hard.”

“Very good.” We fell into a silence, watching the horses interact with Bellini. Hessian seemed so proud of his offspring and pranced around her, stopping to nuzzle Onyx, who was beginning to tire more. Bellini yawned and pushed against her mother, signaling she would like to sleep.

I yawned as well, my own exhaustion catching up to me. I allowed Pitch to lead me away from the equestrian family, bringing us back up to the main corridors of his lair. “Did you manage to get anyone?” I asked.

“Enough. I managed to make one child wet the bed in terror, so it was a good night.”

I wrapped my arms around his left one, leaning in to his body. “My big, strong, fearsome Boogeyman.”

“You forgot terrifying.”

I rolled my eyes, but smiled. “Yes, the most terrifying thing known to man.” My gaze dropped down. One of the most terrifying things, at least.

He caught my gaze. “It is a daunting thing. Trust me, I know. But it will be alright in the end.

It had been a shocking feeling at first, when my cycles began to start again. I had been so afraid I hadn’t said anything to Pitch for the first several months. Of course, it was hard to hide that sort of evidence. That and I had been in crippling pain when my organs began to function again. “While I am scared,” I said to break the silence, “I’m relaxed at the same time. It may just be my center talking, but I feel like it will be a beautiful process.”

He said nothing. Instead of taking us to our room, he led us into the catacombs. He usually brought me there to keep my skills honed, and because the spirits of the dead tended to be a nuisance if not kept in check. As soon as the walls started to become bones, I could hear the lost souls looking for their answers. He stopped at a particular skull and took it from the wall, inspecting it with genuine interest. “What did this one die of?”

“Let me see.” I touched my fingertips to the skull, resting my palms against his hands. I frowned, not finding traces of the bubonic plague like I usually could for most of the bones. We were so far down, the first victims made up a good portion of the corridors. “Strange… This one’s not like the others. The soul has moved on, but there’s still some residual traces of the person.” I tried finding the source, and paused immediately as I began digging up more memories than I thought I’d find. “It’s a man. His name was Martelli. The most powerful memories I can find are of someone named Felecia.” My heart fell as I found what had brought him down in the catacombs. “She was a victim of the plague, but he was not. He couldn’t carry on. He died a broken man.” I took my hands back. “It seems not everyone gets their happy ending.”

“Not everyone deserves one.” He placed the skull where it was meant to be. We spent the remainder of the night in the catacombs, with him provided skulls or bits of bone for me to identify. I’m not sure why, but he loved that talent, and would listen as I told him stories of the past, brought to life by the memories in the bones.

I lost track of time as I trailed my fingers over the bones gently, afraid I’d break some of the oldest ones. I enjoyed doing the readings. It gave me a sort of satisfied feeling. Everyone dies, yes, but how many have their life stories heard? My talents allowed them to have at least someone know who they were, what they did with their lives. Many were interesting. Doctors, police, victims of murder and disease, lawyers, soldiers. It didn’t really matter what their social class was when they were tossed down here to rot like the others. As sad as the thought was, I was still able to see the faces of the dead. I could see the lives they all touched.

I paused as my fingers brushed over a smaller set of bones, my throat constricting.

He didn’t fail to notice how I suddenly went still and quiet. “Hana?”

I gently touched the small skull, sucking in a sharp breath as I felt nothing but pain and confusion. I pulled away, my fingers shaking. I swallowed hard, but forced myself to stroke the skull, as if offering some sort of comfort. “This one was barely a year old. She fell victim to the plague. She had no idea what was happening. She wasn’t old enough to understand death yet.” I felt his hand on my shoulder, but I kept going. “She was born to a poor family. Her father passed of the plague before she was born. She fell sick three months after she came into the world. Her little body couldn’t fight it off.” I pulled away from the skull finally, unable to go further.

“Come. It’s time we slept. You need it.”

I nodded, finding myself wanting to be as far away from the catacombs as possible for a while. We were silent the whole time we traveled the catwalks. Upon entering the bedroom he tended to the fire while I changed into a dull orange nightgown that fell above my knees. I frowned at the length, knowing in a month’s time I wouldn’t be able to fit into it. I pulled back the dark sheets and slipped in for the day. I looked over to the fireplace, seeing his motions had died down. “Oogie?”

“I’ll join you in a bit.”

Which translated to he needed some time to himself. Everything was still a bit much for him as well. I don’t think he ever thought he’d be in this position again. Once we had actually tried, a long time ago, but found it was impossible. With that, we had written it off, never expecting the situation to arise. Now that it had… I think any man in his situation would need time to come to terms with what it meant. Especially him.

I settled down, finding a comfortable position, knowing it would be harder and harder to do as time passed. With the amount of time I had been awake worrying about Onyx, I fell asleep quickly, albeit restlessly.

When I woke again, three hours had gone by. I looked over my shoulder to see his portion still empty, unused. I frowned and quietly shifted out of bed, finding him still sitting before the fireplace in his chair. I put my weight to the balls of my feet and approached him as silently as I could. With how distant his gaze was, I doubt he would have heard me if I had fallen to the polished stone floors. I only knew how far gone he really was by how he reacted when I put a gentle hand to his shoulder.

He jumped slightly and cleared his throat. “What are you doing awake?” He didn’t look at me as he hid something in his coat.

“I should ask you the same thing.” I rested my arms around his neck, letting him lean back into me. “Come to bed, Oogie. Staring at that locket won’t help you.”

I felt him stiffen. “I can pretend it does.”

I let out a breath of a laugh. “Don’t tell me my King of Nightmares is scared of having a baby.”

“No. It’s the fact of…” He went silent for a moment, and I let him gather his thoughts. “I suppose I’m a bit out of practice with this father thing.” He glanced at me. “Look what happened the first time.”

I bit my lip. “Well, yes, but that’s entirely circumstantial. We’re not in an era of war. You did what you had to do.” I tilted his chin up so he could look at me. “You care for me, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Then you can do the same for whatever is growing in here.” I tried to take my hand back, but he held on to it, pressing it to his lips. “You weren’t a bad father, if that’s what you believe. If that is why you continue to gaze at your locket. To be willing to die to save her, that’s what a good father would do.”

He laughed again. “Hana, I haven’t been a good anything in centuries.”

I frowned. “Now that’s not entirely true. You’ve been a good friend, a good lover to me. It counts.”

“Only for so much.” He sighed and got up out of his chair. He stood stock-still as the locket fell from his coat and opened on the stone floor. Staring back at us was a beautiful little girl with hair as black as night, just like her father.

I had never seen what she looked like. I never asked to look at the picture in the locket, finding that it was something he cherished dearly. Everyone deserves to have something precious to hold close to them. “She looks like you.”

He gently picked the locket up, holding it in his palm. “She did. Now she doesn’t really take physical shape too often.”

I covered his hands with mine, closing his fingers over the image. “There are many things in everyone’s lives we wish we could change. Instead of looking to the past, thinking of all the other ways it could have gone, focus on where you’re going.” I smiled. “Look at all you’ve done in just the last two years. Your name is remembered by many. People can see you, hear you again. You helped put Lucifer back in his place. You found Tia and helped put her spirit to rest with the man she loves.” I reached up and ran a finger over his temple, feeling him press into it subconsciously. “You may not realize it but you are a good man. You just show it differently.”

“I used to… Why did you give me another chance after everything I did?”

It was a good question. I wasn’t sure why I did. Many people would have told me to get the hell away from that situation and never turn back. I had planned to do just that, and it had been successful for a hundred years. But was it the right thing to do? Was it right to leave him alone when he needed someone to believe in him? He had turned into a violent, borderline abusive man, yes, but was it really the right call to turn my back on him? “I couldn’t let you stay alone forever. Not when you had been broken so badly. I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

“You never fought back. Why?”

“I couldn’t. I didn’t… didn’t know how to.” I tried to take my hand back but he kept it in place. “This is what I mean. Don’t think of the past. It’s done, and there’s nothing that can be done to change it. You can change what’s to come.” My smile returned. “You don’t have to be there for everything, you don’t even have to be the best father in the world. You are the Boogeyman, don’t ever change that. You are terrifying, strong, fearsome, and you take shit from no one.” I put my other hand over his heart. “Your center is chaos. Embrace it, and your path with remain clear.”

He nodded. “You already have the instincts to be a good mother.”

I let out a short laugh. “I would hope so.” I leaned in to him and he instinctively wrapped his arms around me. “You obviously aren’t the same man you used to be before I met you.”

“Why say that?”

“Manny wouldn’t have given me this gift if he didn’t think you’ve changed, good or bad.” I pulled away, trying to lead him away from the fire. “Now come to bed. I see I’ve got to wear you out somehow.”

He chuckled but allowed me to lead him to the bed. “I am exhausted, you don’t have to do anything to help with that. Though I do appreciate your enthusiasm.”

I shoved his shoulders, tossing him down on the sheets. I gave him no chance to get up and straddled his hips, my nightgown exposing more of my thighs. “You say that, yet you’re still awake.”

“I see someone’s a bit feisty.”

I leaned over his frame, placing a quick kiss to his lips. “I blame the hormones. They’re all over the place.” I knew for once he wasn’t in the mood for anything sexual. I only wanted him to know that he was still cared for by someone. I got off his hips, letting him up again. “Now get your ass in bed before I make you.”

He laughed at my bravado but took his coat off all the same. “I’d like to see you try, Hana.” Regardless of his words he slipped in beside me while I resumed the comfortable position I had found earlier. “Do you want to come with me tomorrow? I could use a companion while I work.”

I felt his arm rest over my side and I shifted back to get closer. “Of course. You know I love helping with the Nightmares.”

“Obviously. You helped Onyx through her labor. If you didn’t care for her, you wouldn’t have done so.”

“That and I was afraid Hessian would do something extremely stupid during the process. He doesn’t think clearly when stressed.”

“What male could while watching the woman he loves go through that sort of pain?”

I looked at him over my shoulder. “Can I expect you to do something extremely stupid?”

“Possibly. I can’t say from experience.”

Meaning he hadn’t been there when his wife gave birth. I held on to his arm and settled back down. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure no one knows if you do something stupid.”

“I’d hope so. I’ve worked hard for my reputation. I can’t be fainting over the birth of my child.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the image it created. I could only see him pacing as Hessian had done, though in the most humorous of ways. He pinched my arm but I only laughed harder. “Come now,” I said between giggles, “surely the Nightmare King can take a joke.”

As an answer he leaned over my body as my giggles continued to break through. “Not when I’m the ass of the joke.” His grin said otherwise. “Now I thought you wanted me to come to bed to sleep? How am I to do so with you chattering nonsense all day?”

I stuck my tongue out at him and he bit it, making me laugh and put my hands to his chest as he refused to let go. “’ock I’ off!”

He let go only to take my hands and pin them over my head. “Or what? You’ll take away my candy?”

“Oh I’ll take away more than your candy, mister.” My heart raced as I watched his smile fade. His eyes were so intense, I couldn’t look away. “What is it?”

“I never asked if you were ready for this.”

“Honestly?” I waited for him to nod. “It’s the one thing I always wanted to give you, but couldn’t. I knew how much you missed your daughter, but I couldn’t do anything for you. At least now I can.”

“Well then, if that’s the case…” He let go of my wrists and ran his hands up my thighs under the sheets. “I think I do need something to wear me out more.”

“Oh no, no. I don’t think so. I offered and you didn’t want to.”

“I changed my mind.” He kissed my neck, finding a sensitive spot.

“Really, knock it off,” I said between laughs. He found a weak point and I hummed a soft moan. “Seriously Oogie, I’m exhausted.”

He sighed in mock disappointment, but stopped all the same. “As you wish.” We settled back down for the day. “However, once night falls that changes.”

“Of course.” We both grew quiet, and I listened to the crackling of the fireplace, using it to lull me to sleep. Everything had changed, but for the better.

None of us were alone or cast out anymore. Each of us had found our place in the world. We had all realized or remembered our centers, what drove us on. Some of us more than others. That day, as I drifted off to sleep, I prayed it would stay that way. We had both suffered enough. It was time for a change. It was time for our own happy ending.

We would never be forgotten again.


End file.
